ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A man who shot his wife in the break room of a Walmart in Albuquerque was convicted of a federal firearms offense Thursday.

A federal jury convicted 65-year-old Maurice Lacey after less than 40 minutes of deliberation Thursday. The verdict comes nearly two years after the shooting happened in the employee break room at the Walmart Neighborhood Market near I-40 and San Mateo.

According to court documents and evidence presented in the trial, Lacey entered the break room on October 21, 2022, and shot his wife in the back of the head. He then walked to the customer service desk, tossed a gun on the counter and admitted to shooting his wife.

State prosecutors originally charged Lacey with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

However, state prosecutors dropped the charge.

Prosecutors said, even with the possible enhancements to the charge, Lacey would only face 4-10 years in state prison with a conviction. They added Lacey would face a longer sentence in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm if a jury convicted him of that charge.

Now convicted, Lacey faces up to 15 years in federal prison and three subsequent years of supervised release. Because it is a federal case, there is no parole.

According to court documents, Lacey’s wife filed for divorce earlier this month. She cited “a state of incompatibility and irreconcilable differences.”

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