It took just over an hour Wednesday for a Smith County Jury to convict a retired Tyler dentist of murder.

The jury convicted 76-year-old Bobby Ray Nichols of killing his wife during an argument in their Tyler home last summer.

Nichols testified he only meant to scare his wife, 71-year-old Rosalind Nichols, with his handgun the night of June 29, 2012.

The same jury will begin hearing testimony Thursday in the sentencing phase of the trial. Nichols faces up to life in prison.

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