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Doctor Is Convicted in Slaying of Ex-Wife

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From Associated Press

A doctor was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder for fatally shooting his ex-wife at a downtown courthouse as the couple’s 6-year-old daughter watched.

Harry Zelig, 50, gunned down Eileen Zelig, his ex-wife and the mother of his three children, on Sept. 1, 1995, with a single gunshot to the neck. He had met her at the Hill Street courthouse for a hearing regarding their divorce.

Zelig is scheduled to be sentenced March 20. He faces 25 years to life in prison. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.

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During the trial, prosecutors said Zelig had thought for a year about killing his ex-wife.

Zelig’s lawyer said his client, who carried a gun for protection during the bus ride to court, was under stress from his ex-wife’s constant legal fights for money and “snapped like a frayed rope.”

Edward Rucker said Zelig’s former wife had told him that their court battles never would end.

The day before the shooting, Eileen Zelig had authorities impound her ex-husband’s car for failing to make support payments, and Harry Zelig had filed a motion to get the car back.

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