After years of preparation, a two-week trial and more than three days of jury deliberations in the Sam Parker murder trial, Floyd County’s district attorney is heading back home victorious.

Sam Parker, the former LaFayette police sergeant, was found guilty Friday in Walker County of murder, making false statements and violating his oath of office.

He was sentenced to life in prison and consecutive five-year sentences for the other two crimes.

He was found not guilty of computer invasion of privacy.

“We are very very pleased; the family was just ecstatic with the verdict,” said Floyd County District Attorney Leigh Patterson.

“They’re finally going to have some peace,” she said. “But I told them we are not going to stop looking for Theresa … even though we have a guilty verdict.”

Theresa Parker’s body has not yet been found.

The prosecution team from the DA’s office, including Assistant DA Natalee Staats, has been working on the case since April 2007, driving from Floyd County to Bartow and Walker counties to interview witnesses and prepare for the case.

Patterson was called in to prosecute the case when Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit DA Herbert “Buzz” Franklin recused himself.

“Those trips to LaFayette and Cartersville have been tiring on all of us,” she said.

Members of the team have camped out in Walker County for duration of the trial, but it seems like a lot longer.

A short visitation time with her dog, Belle, helped a little during the long process, but she’s happy it’s time to come back home.

“I miss Rome, I miss my church, I miss my dog, my friends and my family,” Patterson said.

Sam Parker was charged in February 2008 with the murder of his estranged wife, Theresa, a Walker County 911 dispatcher, and has been in jail since then. Her last known contact with anyone was about 9:30 p.m. on March 21, 2007.

Once the sentence was passed down, Judge Jon “Bo” Wood asked Parker whether he had any questions.

He replied “No, your honor” and left peacefully to a waiting elevator for transportation back to the jail.

The trial lasted 14 days and consisted of testimony of local law enforcement officials, a former LaFayette police officer who said Parker told him he killed his wife, GBI investigators and Theresa Parker’s family.

All the long hours and waiting seemed to take its toll, but on Thursday afternoon the prosecution team had just gone back to its office, down the street from the courthouse in LaFayette, when the phone rang.

“We got a call from the clerk’s office saying they had a verdict,” she said. “They read the verdict, and … it’s been a really good day.”

After lunch on Thursday, Wood read the Allen charge to jurors when they appeared to be deadlocked on the murder charge. The Allen charge is intended to encourage a jury to reach an agreement.

The jury, which was selected from Bartow County because of heavy pre-trial publicity, notified Wood it had made a decision at 4:20 p.m. which was published to the court at 4:50 p.m.

Public Defender David Dunn could not be reached for comment.

Staff Writer Josh O’Bryant contributed to this report.

Click here to see a video of udge Wood giving the jury the Allen charge.