A jury on Friday afternoon found a Cranberry Township woman guilty of involuntary manslaughter but not guilty of criminal homicide and other more serious charges in the death of her boyfriend.

Jessica Royall, 29, began to cry as the jury read its decision in her four-day trial for the death of Ryan Minett, 27, of New Brighton. Her mom, who had attended the trial and testified Thursday, also began to cry.

Following closing arguments Friday, jurors deliberated for several hours before deciding Royall's responsibility for Minett's death in March 2018.

Prosecutors argued that Royall made a calculated decision to kill Minett, while her defense depicted Minett as a woman beater and rapist who forced Royall to take action in self-defense.

Jurors ultimately agreed with the defense.

Royall also was found guilty of homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence of a controlled substance, recklessly endangering another person. Royall remains in the Butler County Prison. She will be sentenced on Oct. 15.

Along with criminal homicide, she also was found not guilty of voluntary manslaughter, homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence, driving under the influence, general impairment, driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content less than .16, and driving under the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs.

Royall's lawyer, William Difenderfer, said he was “ecstatic.”

In defending Royall, Difenderfer made no attempt to hide Royall's crack-cocaine smoking habits, and he readily admitted that Royall was high at the time of the incident on March 23, 2018, when an argument between Royall and Minett ended in the mortal injury of Minett.

Royall testified on Thursday that she became furious with Minett after discovering he had stolen about $800 from her bank account and her Vicodin pills were missing.

Witnesses reported Royall speeding in a car with Minett clutching the roof racks before falling off at the corner of Cross Creek Drive and Little Pine Road, hitting a steel light post.

Minett died the next day. In outlining the events leading up to Minett's death, Difenderfer asked jurors to think about Royall's intent.

He argued that she had no desire to kill Minett, and therefore couldn't be found guilty of criminal homicide, which is used for people who intended to kill somebody.

“The jury found that she was somewhat reckless, and the verdict reflects that understanding,” Difenderfer said. “I truly believe we were spot-on with the defense. If you don't have any credibility with the jury, forget about it. We didn't hide anything from them, and in doing so, we avoided all the serious charges. Had this verdict been offered (by prosecutors in a negotiated plea deal) we would have asked, 'where do we sign?' But they wanted to do it the hard way.”

During her closing argument, Assistant District Attorney Laura Pitchford, who prosecuted the case, asked jurors to find Royall guilty of all charges.

“The jury did their job,” Pitchford said after the verdict. “The jury decided what they felt was acceptable for the community.”

On Thursday, Difenderfer went on the offensive, attacking Minett's past through the testimony of a woman who said she had been raped by Minett during her relationship with him about 10 years ago.

Difenderfer continued this focus on Friday, beginning the day's proceedings with another ex-girlfriend of Minett's.

“He was great at first,” said Brittany Bates, 30, who dated Minett for two months almost 10 years ago. She recalled that he took her to a zoo after saving money from a part-time job. “It turned out that he didn't have a part-time job. He stole the money from his grandma.”

Soon into their relationship, Bates said Minett became possessive.

“He would get mad at me for putting makeup on. He said that I didn't need to look good for someone else, and he punched me.”

She continued, “Then it became more sexual. If I wasn't in the mood, I would get hit. If I was talking on the phone, I would get hit.”

The abuse continued, Bates testified, “I always had black-and-blue eyes. If he got mad, that's the first place he'd go for.”

Bates said she eventually had enough, and in late 2010 she called police.

Minett eventually would plead guilty to simple assault and was sentenced to two years of probation, according to court documents.

But Pitchford rejected the defense's arguments, calling it “smoke and mirrors.”

In Royall's mind, Pitchford said, Minett deserved to die because he had stolen her money and drugs.

“He was going to get exactly, as she says, what he deserves. Because that's what you get when you steal Ms. Royall's money and drugs,” Pitchford said. “Premeditation doesn't take days, not even minutes, just a split second.”

In Difenderfer's closing statement, he told jurors that Royall was defending herself.

“Our defense for justification is a very good one. It's real. It's simple. You're allowed to defend yourself,” he said. “You're allowed to use force to get out of a situation that could be imminently harmful.”