A former South Dakota police chief has been found guilty of first degree murder in the death of his pregnant fiancee.
Prosecutors accused Russell Bertram, 64, of killing 26-year-old Leonila Stickney in October 2009 to collect more than $900,000 insurance money.
They also said jealousy was a factor because Bertram had undergone a vasectomy and knew the child couldn't be his.
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Russell Bertram was convicted by a jury of the murder of his 26-year-old pregnant fiancee, Leonila Stickney
After Stickney's death, Bertram married her younger sister, Melissa del Valle, but she filed for divorce after his arrest.
Bertram, who had served as police chief in Harrisburg, South Dakota, claimed to have fired his shotgun accidentally in 2009, hitting Stickney in the abdomen after a hunting trip in Gregory County.
He claimed, The Daily Republic reports, that his fiancee pulled the barrel of his 870 shotgun toward her and said 'kiss me', before it discharged into her chest.
But his statements contained a number of discrepancies, including what triggered the gun, and he was charged in December last year.
A Gregory County jury returned the guilty verdict on Monday.
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Callous: Bertram was convicted of first degree following the shooting of his pregnant fiancee, which he had claimed was an accident
He faces a minimum penalty of life in prison, and the possibility of the death penalty when he is sentenced in November.
The victim's estranged husband, David Stickney, received a letter after her death from a life insurance company that was processing a claim from Bertram.
He then contacted the South Dakota attorney general's office criminal division, setting in motion an investigation that led to a murder charge last fall.
Bertram's defense team argued the case had nothing to do with jealousy and that the insurance policy was Stickney's idea to provide for her family in the Philippines if anything happened to her.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley and Gregory county States Attorney Amy Bartling praised the verdict.
'Bertram's callous disregard for Leonila and his failure to show any sorrow or remorse are evident and unfortunate,' they said in a statement after the verdict was announced.
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