Man Convicted in ’92 Murders of Wife, Lover : Verdict: Huntington Beach resident faces life in prison for gunning down the pair as they sat in a pickup truck.

A Huntington Beach man was convicted Friday of two counts of first-degree murder for gunning down his estranged wife and her lover as they sat side-by-side in a pickup truck.

Gary Earnest Beaudoin, 32, showed no reaction as he was convicted of the Sept. 10, 1992, murders of Patricia Beaudoin, 22, and Mark Forshee, 23, both of Huntington Beach. But at least two jurors choked back tears and more than 40 friends and relatives of the victims and the defendant openly wept and held each other during the brief hearing.

Jurors said they were drained by the tragic, emotionally charged case. In the end, they said outside court, two people are dead, a former electric company executive faces life in prison, dozens are still grieving, and a 2-year-old girl named Kayla will grow up without ever knowing her mother and father.

“It was just a sad case, real tragic; no one wins here,” said juror John Hanks, a salesman from Rancho Santa Margarita. “I think it really affected us because we were so drawn into other people’s business.”

Outside court, the victims’ friends and relatives said they were pleased with the verdict.

“We’re satisfied,” said Matt Smith of Orange, Patricia Beaudoin’s father. “We’re as satisfied as you can be after a man has killed your daughter.”

Deputy Dist. Atty. Christopher J. Evans told jurors that Beaudoin planned the killing of his wife and her lover after vowing: “If I can’t have her, nobody can have her.” Deputy Public Defender Leonard Gumlia, who pleaded with jurors to convict his client of less-serious charges, said his client was tormented over his wife’s infidelity and killed “in the heat of passion.”

At the time of the shooting, the Beaudoins were separating. Forshee was helping Patricia Beaudoin move when Gary Beaudoin caught sight of Forshee’s pickup truck laden with his daughter’s belongings and began following them.

The two vehicles pulled over at Bolsa Chica Street in Huntington Beach. Evans told jurors that the couple were caught unaware and were shot in the head. But Gumlia told jurors Beaudoin was carrying his gun for protection when he approached the truck and pleaded to Forshee: “How can you take away a man’s wife and daughter like this?”

Forshee and Patricia Beaudoin began laughing and Beaudoin lost control and fired, Gumlia said.

Beaudoin, who surrendered after the shooting, now faces life in prison without any possibility of parole. No sentencing date has been set.

Jurors admitted weeping during their weeklong deliberations. Jurors also said that, to a limited extent, they identified with the defendant and felt sympathy for all involved.

“We’ve all been jealous, we’ve all been angry,” said one juror who declined to give his name.

Juror Hanks said that at the start of deliberations many of the jurors seemed divided over whether to convict Beaudoin of first-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter but felt there was no alternative after reviewing the evidence against Beaudoin.

“We felt for him, for what’s going to happen to him, but we didn’t let that change us,” said juror Denise Mendoza-Evans of Fountain Valley, who was still blotting tears from her eyes outside the courtroom.

In an unusual twist, Gumlia is considering seeking a motion for a new trial based on incompetent legal representation by himself, said co-counsel Deputy Public Defender Carol Lavacot.

“He felt so sure that this wasn’t a first-degree murder case that he feels he must have done something wrong,” she said.