A jury has found Jason Carter not guilty of a first degree murder charge related to the 2015 death of his mother, Shirley.

The jury returned its verdict after about ninety minutes of deliberation.

Both sides delivered closing arguments to jurors in Council Bluffs on Thursday morning; the defense focused on the timeline of the case, as attorney Christine Branstad said the one laid out by the state was physically impossible for her client to follow in order to carry out the shooting of Carter’s mother Shirley.

She also argued Jason had no real financial motive to kill his mother, noting he has a net worth of $800,000 and would not have inherited anything from her in the event of her death.

Marion County Attorney Ed Bull directed jurors’ attention to the crime scene, and maintained it had very obviously been staged to look like an interrupted robbery.

He says no true burglar would have ignored money, valuables, drugs or other items readily available; nor would they have fired on the victim from the angle she was shot from.

An emotional Jason Carter gave a brief statement to the press immediately following the verdict.

“I’ve had to endure so much,” Carter said. “Nobody can even come close to knowing.”

Stay tuned to KNIA/KRLS for updates as more details become official.