Josh Mankiewicz

Nevertheless, Sabrina said she felt trapped and controlled by the swinging lifestyle. Her marriage, she said, had become emotionally unsatisfying. Then came Costco, and the day she met Jonathan Hearn... Jonathan was something different, she said. A straight arrow type, smart and curious. The kind of guy who could talk about anything.

As the relationship progressed, becoming sexual, Sabrina said she and Jonathan also became more spiritual. They coped with their guilt over the cheating, she said, with prayer. Jonathan quoted the Bible to her, encouraged her to memorize certain verses. Sabrina was all in with that. Though in hindsight, she said, Jonathan used religion to manipulate her.

To hear Sabrina tell it, she was satisfied with the double life she was leading with two different men. And she saw no reason to change that.

Sabrina said she'd been devastated when Rob died. In those darkest of days, she said, she felt Jonathan was her rock. Somebody she could cling to. Someone who would take care of her and the children.

Sabrina said she not only lied to investigators about her lifestyle, she said she had lied about her affair because Jonathan had told her they'd both be in for a world of hurt if investigators ever found out about it.

Yes, him and I. According to Sabrina, she never discussed killing Rob with Jonathan. There'd never been any poison pudding plot. And she had never imagined Jonathan would ever want to harm Rob. Yes, she admitted, she had told Jonathan where Rob worked, but only in passing as a small part of a larger conversation. And yes, she had told Jonathan Rob would be working in Tehachapi that day.

And that was only because Tehachapi days were long days for Rob, and typically a time when she and Jonathan could meet up. Her defense against all those accusations was a familiar one to any follower of true crime. Yes, I lied to my husband about the affair. Yes, I lied to police about it too. But murder? I never thought of it. And you can trust me on that.

Even after investigators told her they suspected Jonathan of killing her husband, Sabrina said she didn't believe it.

According to Sabrina, Jonathan Hearn had used the shame she'd felt for her days as a swinger to manipulate her. During his cross-examination, prosecutor Eric Smith questioned that.

On the morning of October 3rd, the jury got the case. They had spent the better part of three weeks listening to testimony. And they had heard the confessional testimony of Jonathan Hearn, the man who murdered Rob Lamone in cold blood. And they had seen the dead man's widow up close. At mid-morning, they sent a head-scratching note to the judge saying,

Jurors wanted to see that sparkling snow globe Sabrina had given Jonathan for Christmas, nine months before Rob's murder.

That's Michael Fleeman, the true crime reporter who would later write a book about the case titled Better Off Dead.

A few hours later, another note, this one asking if the attempted murder count in the list of charges pertained to the poison pudding plot. Yes, the judge replied, it did. Then, a little after 4 p.m., the jury sent one last note. They had reached a verdict.

Because it was late in the day, the judge delayed announcing the verdict until the next morning.

Sabrina Limon dropped her head as the clerk read the remainder of the verdict form. Guilty of premeditation. Guilty of conspiracy. Guilty of accessory. But on the attempted murder charge in the poison pudding plot, the jury found her not guilty.

There had been no physical evidence presented that would have supported Jonathan Hearn's claim that Sabrina Limon had put arsenic-laced pudding in her husband's lunch.

After the jury was dismissed, Sabrina Limon cried softly as she was shackled and led away. Outside the courthouse, family and friends of Rob Limon gathered and spoke with the assembled media.

That's Rob Limon's sister, Chris Wilson.

It was an emotional moment for the sisters, who had not only lost a brother and a sister-in-law, they had also lost contact with their niece and nephew, who were living with Sabrina's sister, Julie. Here's Rob's sister, Lydia Marrero. I love my niece and nephew. I send out my love to them.

That's crime reporter Olivia LaVoie again.