Developer Bob Ward was stoic as the verdict was read Saturday. Before the verdict, he hugged his two college-aged daughters as the women wept.

Ward was found guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his wife, Diane, in September 2009. The slaying happened days before she was to give a deposition in a lawsuit alleging that he blew millions of dollars on big houses and expensive cars while his business failed.

Defense attorneys say that Ward’s wife was suicidal, and that he was trying to stop her from killing herself when the gun went off.

Ward could face up to life in prison.