Doctor Is Convicted in Slaying of Ex-Wife

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.

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.