Times Observer photo Eleven members of the family of Jessica White stand together at Warren County Courthouse as Jessica’s sister, Kathy Knierim, (left) and mother, Sheryl Johnson, make a statement Thursday following the issuing of a guilty verdict in the murder case against Jessica’s husband, Matthew B. White.

Juror number 12, the foreman, stood and simply said, “Guilty, first degree murder.”

Those four words will send convicted murderer Matthew B. White, 35, to prison for the rest of his life.

For Jessica White — killed June 21, 2017, at the age of 32 — and her family, those words mean justice and some measure of peace.

Jessica died when her husband, the father of their three children, shot her four times at point-blank range in the driveway of their home in Chandlers Valley while she sat in her car after a day of work at Warren General Hospital.

Whether they called her daughter, sister, cousin, niece, or some other relation, Jessica’s family members sat faithfully in the courtroom from the opening remarks on Monday to the verdict on Thursday afternoon.

When the foreman spoke those four words, they gave audible sighs and shed quiet tears. They had been cautioned by President Judge Maureen Skerda to “exercise restraint” and maintain “order and decorum.”

“With this verdict, we know that Jessica will rest in peace,” Jessica’s sister, Kathy Knierim, said after the trial. “On behalf of the family of Jessica White, we would like to thank District Attorney Rob Greene, Lead Detective Trooper Jeff Osborne, and all those who assisted with this case, for their hard work and diligence. We’d also like to thank the staff of the Victim Witness office for the kindness and hospitality we received.”

Until he testified in his own defense Thursday morning, Matthew White, had shown almost no emotion through the trial. In fact, he rarely moved, except to refill his water or take a drink. He appeared calm when a picture of his wife, smiling, was put on the screen in the Jackson Courtroom for the jury to see. His demeanor did not change when photos of her dead body, riddled with bullet holes, were put on the same screen.

When the foreman read the verdict, White looked down at the table, faintly shook his head, then put his hands to his face.

He was escorted from the courtroom by Warren County Sheriff’s Deputies.

The only sentences for first degree murder in Pennsylvania are death and life in prison without the possibility of parole. This was not a death penalty case, so life is the only possibility.

“That’s the only sentence that can be issued,” Greene said.

A sentencing proceeding is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday.