A Corunna man has been found not guilty in the death of his common-law wife.
A jury, made up of 12 people, delivered its unanimous verdict in Shawn Trowbridge's first-degree murder trial after over 12 hours of deliberations Wednesday afternoon.
Trowbridge, who was 51 years old at the time of his arrest, had pleaded not guilty to the charge in the death of Cheryl Van Huizen.
The 51-year-old woman was found by Lambton OPP, who had responded to an incident at a Riverside Drive home on December 31, 2020. She was confirmed dead at the scene.
Trowbridge was originally charged with second-degree murder, but the charge was upgraded to first-degree murder in November 2021.
Trowbridge has been out on bail since late 2021.
A representative from Sarnia Court told Sarnia News Today that Trowbridge was free to go after the announcement was made.