Children plead for Cary man's life

Lumberton, N.C. — The children of a Cary man found guilty of killing his wife six years ago tearfully pleaded Wednesday for jurors to spare his life.

Jurors convicted Myron Britt Tuesday of first-degree murder in the August 2003 shooting death of his wife, Nancy Britt. The Wake County teacher was killed at her sister's Robeson County home.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Britt, but they presented no additional evidence Wednesday to support their case that Britt killed his wife to collect on an $800,000 life insurance policy.

Meanwhile, defense attorneys presented emotional testimony from Britt's adult children, Brandon and Lauren.

The two never mentioned the loss of their mother but noted how important it was for them and their grandmother, Marjorie Britt, to maintain their relationships with Myron Britt. Marjorie Britt has visited her son regularly in jail over the past six years as he awaited trial, they said.

"We were a very close family,” a teary-eyed Brandon Britt said, recalling bike rides, holiday get-togethers and attending church.

Lauren Britt sobbed uncontrollably on the witness stand, prompting her father to rub his eyes with a tissue.

"I need my dad," she said when asked if she would continue her relationship with him if he were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Defense attorneys also presented evidence from Myron Britt's pastor and a few friends.

The jury was dismissed for the day shortly after noon Wednesday and was expected to return Thursday to receive instructions from the judge and begin deliberating.

The trial was the second for Britt in the slaying. A June 2006 trial ended in a mistrial when the jury deadlocked 11-1 in favor of conviction.

During the three-week retrial, jurors heard about ballistics evidence connecting a handgun Myron Britt once owned to a bullet recovered from his wife's body. The jury also visited Britt's former Cary home to check out his alibi that he was home the night his wife died.