Catherine Pileggi accused of murdering her multimillionaire love Ronald Vinci

Jurors in the Catherine Pileggi murder trial deliberated for more than eight hours yesterday without reaching a verdict over the killing.

Pileggi, 58, is accused of second-degree murder in the June 27, 2011, death of her long-time boyfriend, multimillionaire Ronald Vinci, in Fort Lauderdale.

According to Pileggi's defense, Vinci, 70, had a long history of abusing Pileggi verbally, physically and sexually throughout their tumultuous relationship.

Jurors in the Catherine Pileggi murder trial have so far been unable to decide whether she is guilty of killing her long-time boyfriend, multimillionaire Ronald Vinci, in Fort Lauderdale, in June 2011

Her lawyer Bruce Udolf told the court the killing was in self-defence and portrayed Pileggi as a 'battered spouse'.

Earlier on the night Pileggi admitted killing her partner, she claimed that Vinci held a gun to her head and told her she didn't deserve to live, the Sun-sentinel reported.

Share this article

Somewhere between 10 and 11 pm that night, as he lay in bed with a head wound from a fall down the stairs, Pileggi said she shot him, stabbed him repeatedly, slit his throat and hit him on the head with a hammer.

Prosecutor Brian Cavanagh told jurors Pileggi illegally took the law into her own hands, killing Vinci while he was unconscious and posed no threat to anyone.

Vinci was found dead in the $3 million waterfront mansion he had only moved into two weeks earlier.

Neighbours had reported hearing screams coming from the house during the early hours of the morning on the day of the incident.

Vinci had only just moved into his $3 million waterfront mansion and was said to have wanted to leave Pileggi

Before the case went to court, Pileggi's stepmother, who declined to give her name, had said she wouldn't 'hurt a fly'.

'In all honesty, she wouldn’t even say anything that would hurt somebody’s feelings.'

Police had previously said Pileggi's relationship with Vinci had soured before his death.

Detective Travis Mandell said: 'We believe there was some sort of argument that ensued because Mr. Vinci had been trying to get Mrs. Pileggi out of his life.'

'Vinci had recently moved to Florida from Rancho Santa Fe to retire and spend time with his son Kerry and his grandson.

The self-made millionaire started as a Honda motorcycle dealer in San Diego before building up a successful car dealership spread across southern California and Las Vegas.

Pileggi faces life in prison if convicted.

Deliberations will resume tomorrow.