A Tarrant County jury on Friday first found Tyra Ann Whitney guilty of murder in the death of 24-year-old LeMarcus Bell then later deliberated the punishment.
Prosecutors said Whitney confronted Bell at the apartment her daughter shared with him after her daughter phoned and said she and Bell were fighting. A shouting match ensued, and Whitney threw bleach in Bell's eyes, which caused him to fall to the floor in pain. While he was on the ground, Whitney pulled out a hammer she had concealed and struck him in the back of the head.
Whitney testified she was trying to defend her daughter from an abusive boyfriend.
