A stunned Louise Woodward heard the jury in a Cambridge, Massachussetts court find her guilty of second degree murder after it deliberated for three days. She was on trial for the murder of 9-month-old Matthew Eappen whom the prosecution said she had shaken to death last February.
Ms Woodward (19) sobbed as the verdict was delivered and repeated over again, "I didn't do anything, I didn't hurt Matthew, I didn't do anything," Woodward sobbed as she broke down in tears upon hearing the decision. "Why did they do that to me," she cried.
Her lawyer tied to console her and her parents were stunned.
Minutes later she was led from the courtroom. The court will reconvene at 10 this morning US time but it is not clear if sentence will be pronounced at this time.
The verdict was delivered by the nine-woman, three-man jury after a three-week trial in Cambridge, Massachusetts that heard testimony she had committed the premeditated murder of eight-month-old Matthew Eappen by hitting his head against a hard surface.
Ms Woodward faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 to 15 years.
The verdict came as a shock as it was widely expected that the medical evidence by the doctors for the defence would clear her of the murder charge. She and the defence team were so confident of acquittal that they insisted that the jury not be allowed to consider a manslaughter verdict.
But as the jury's deliberation went on for three days it became apparent that a guilty verdict was becoming more possible. The jury asked for a transcript of the medical evidence by the defence which tried to show that the skull fracture on the baby was an old one and could not have happened on the day when Woodward was accused of murdering him.
The prosecution also appeared surprised by the verdict. It is believed that the prosecution was prepared to accept a plea bargain which would have meant a short prison term for Woodward.
The trial aroused enormous interest abroad as well as in the US. There has been non-stop debate here about whether working mothers should leave very young children in the care of inexperienced au pairs.
The Eappens who are highly paid medical specialists in the Boston area were criticised for using a low-paid au pair to mind two young children.
Woodward, who came to the United States in June 1996 to spend a year working as a nanny, faces life in prison but with the possibility of release in 15 years. Woodward, who had spent eight months in jail, maintained remarkable poise throughout the trial, her appearance neat, her answers calm and controlled.
But the prosecution had painted a portrait of Woodward as a liar who was more interested in her social life than in her job caring for children and who, when frustrated by her work, killed Matthew.
The young nanny's stay in the Eappen's suburban Boston home had been punctuated by arguments over her frequent evening social outings and long telephone conversations.