YUMA — A jury has convicted a former second-grade teacher of two counts of child molestation but rejected three other charges.
The mixed verdict in the case against Philip Gregory Speers came after nearly four days of deliberations following a 14-day trial in Yuma County Superior Court.
Speers, who taught at St. Francis of Assisi School during the 1999-2000 school year, was accused of molesting four children in his class.
The case that ended Thursday was a retrial for Speers' 2003 conviction on the five charges that led to a 71-year prison sentence. He also had been convicted in 2002 for having child pornography on his computer and sentenced to 34 years in prison.
The Arizona Court of Appeals overturned both convictions, ruling that Speers' defense had not been allowed to use an expert witness to testify about how police interview techniques might have influenced the testimony of child witnesses.
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Speers family friend Carol Wray said she was stunned by the jury's findings and said the family plans to appeal the verdicts.
"I'm disappointed in the system that takes so many years to get to the truth," Wray said. "The facts are there to prove Greg innocent. Hopefully they can be brought out on appeal."
Prosecutor David Haws declined to comment after the verdict, saying it would be inappropriate because Speers still must be retried in the second overturned case.
Defense attorney Kristi Riggins also declined to comment, citing similar concerns.
Speers, 35, was found guilty of two counts of molestation of a child and not guilty on two other counts of molestation of a child and one count of sexual conduct with a minor.
The prosecution based its case on the testimony of the victims as well as evidence of child pornography found on two computers to which Speers had access.
The defense maintained that conversations between the parents and children produced allegations that weren't true.
