The jury didn’t return the first-degree murder verdict prosecutors had asked for Thursday in the trial of Jorge Rueda Landeros.

They convicted him of second-degree murder for the 2010 killing of American University Professor Sue Marcum.

But her brother Friday said he appreciated the outcome, and prosecutors called it a “perfect verdict” at a joint press conference at Montgomery County Circuit Court.

“It’s been a long week and a half, and a longer 15 years,” Alan Marcum said. “It’s impossible for words to express my gratitude deeply enough.”

Marcum had spent every day of the more than weeklong trial listening to prosectors recount the violent death of his sister in her Bethesda home. He spoke personally about her on Friday.

“Sue cared ultimately what her students learn, to the point that person after person after person has told me that taking her class changed the course of their career and turned them into accountants,” he said.

“I took an accounting class in college. Look, to me, it’s boring,” Marcum said to laughter. “Sue managed to make it interesting.”

Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy addressed the second-degree murder conviction.

“Would we have welcomed a verdict of first-degree murder? The answer is yes,” he said.

But “this case was not someone who came over with a weapon premeditatedly and took the life of another human being,” he continued. “They were sitting there clearly having a drink, talking to each other, and something happened.”

A second-degree murder conviction in this case indicates that the jury did not think the killing was premeditated. It carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison with parole. A first-degree murder conviction carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Premeditated murder, said Assistant State’s Attorney Debbie Feinstein, legally “can literally occur in between gunshots and in between blows. We know that would legally be an accurate description ... for this case.”

“We certainly understand, given the facts and the nature of the struggle, and the ultimate murder, how a jury came to the decision that they came to,” she said.

Rueda Landeros’ sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6

Marcum thanked police, prosecutors, the FBI and Mexican authorities for their roles in capturing Rueda Landeros, 55, who was extradited from Mexico in 2023.

A violent night

Marcum, 52, was found in the basement of her home on Oct. 25, 2010.

Rueda Landeros’ DNA was found on a bottle of tequila he used to bludgeon her, and on her fingernails, as Marcum fought him off, prosecutors said. They said he tried to throw off investigators by staging the house to make it appear as if she had been killed in a burglary.

Border authorities in 2011 collected DNA from Rueda Landeros, a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States.

Rueda Landeros then didn’t set foot in the U.S. for more than a decade “because the DNA linked him … to the crime scene,” McCarthy said.

Defense attorneys said Marcum was killed in a botched burglary. Items stolen from her home included a flat-screen television, a cellphone and a gaming console. Her gold Jeep Cherokee was also stolen.

The SUV was found the day after her body was discovered driven by a teen in Washington, D.C. The teen was never charged in Marcum’s death.

Rueda Landeros’ attorneys Meghan Brennan and Tatiana David said in a statement Friday that their client is innocent and that they hope one day “the full story will be told.”

“A victory lap in the press by the State’s Attorney’s Office will not undo the tragedy of this case. Jorge Landeros did not murder Sue Marcum and while we are disappointed with the jury’s verdict, we will not stop fighting for Mr. Landeros’ innocence,” the statement said.

“The simple facts of this case are that someone else was caught in Ms. Marcum’s car immediately following the murder, that no witnesses placed Mr. Landeros in Maryland at the time of the incident much less saw Mr. Landeros commit any crime, and the forensic evidence in this case was heavily disputed.”

Prosecutors said during the trial Marcum was infatuated with Rueda Landeros, her Spanish teacher, who was also a yoga instructor, and that their relationship was sometimes romantic.

Entangled finances

Rueda Landeros abused Marcum’s trust, prosecutors said, selling her on a scheme he promised would yield hundreds of thousands of dollars for her.

He asked Marcum to invest $300,000 in brokerage accounts for what he said would be a 35% annual return rate. Half of the investment would be in his name.

To finance the investment, Marcum took out a second mortgage on her home for nearly $300,000 in January 2008. She lost $312,000 in the scheme, and Rueda Landeros had taken more than $252,000 of her money.

McCarthy on Friday called Rueda Landeros a “con man.”