A jury in Bexar County, Texas just acquitted Ezekiel Gilbert of
charges that he murdered a 23-year-old Craigslist escort—agreeing that
because he was attempting to retrieve the $150 he'd paid to Frago, who
wouldn't have sex with him, his actions were justified.

Gilbert had admitted to shooting Lenora Ivie Frago in the neck on
Christmas Eve 2009, when she accepted $150 from Gilbert and left his
home without having sex with him. Frago, who was paralyzed by the
shooting, died several months later.

Gilbert's defense argued that the shooting wasn't meant to kill, and
that Gilbert's actions were justified, because he believed that sex
was included as part of the fee. Texas law allows people "to use
deadly force to recover property during a nighttime theft."

The 30-year-old hugged his defense attorneys after the "not guilty"
verdict was read by the judge. If convicted, he could have faced life
in prison. He thanked God, his lawyers, and the jury for being able to
"see what wasn't the truth."