Man convicted in murder of Missouri Southern assistant

Jeffrey Bruner was convicted of first-degree murder Thursday in the death of Missouri Southern State assistant coach Derek Moore.

Bruner shot and killed Moore in November 2013 when Moore (right) was leaving a Joplin, Mo., movie theater with Bruner's estranged wife.

From the Joplin Globe:

The defense had argued that his wife's infidelities drove the defendant to a point where he snapped during a confrontation with her and the 37-year-old assistant football coach at Missouri Southern State University outside the movie theater where they had gone on a date.

A psychologist testified that he believes Bruner suffered an abnormal reaction to a life-threatening situation known as acute stress disorder that caused him not to be able to recall much of what happened when he confronted Moore and his wife. Bruner told the court that he remembers the gun in his hand and two shots being fired. He testified that he did not recall anything else until the point where he reached his vehicle after the shooting.

Bruner faces life without parole because of the murder conviction, the automatic sentence for anyone convicted of first-degree murder in Missouri. His sentencing is scheduled for May for a count of armed criminal action. According to the Globe, the jury deliberated for less than three hours before reaching the guilty verdict.

He fired seven rounds in the incident and according to the pathologist who performed the autopsy, six struck Moore. One shot went through his spinal cord. A witness also described hearing Bruner say "If I can't have you, no one can" before he committed the crime.

Moore was Missouri Southern's offensive line coach. The team canceled Homecoming activities after his death and postponed a game. He was in his first year as a coach for the team.

Bruner and his wife were officially divorced in the summer of 2014.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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