Woman staged home invasion and locked herself in closet after brutally murdering her husband

Sandra Melgar tied up her hands and locked herself in a bedroom closet.

She positioned herself next to the body of her husband Jaime who she had just killed by stabbing him 31 times in a frenzied and bloodied attack. And then she waited.

The pair was discovered in the closet the next day by friends who arrived at their Houston home in Texas for the couple's 32nd wedding anniversary party. Melgar told investigators that she had blacked out and woke up in the wardrobe, not knowing how she and her husband ended up there, according to police.

But a court heard Melgar staged the home invasion which was designed to cover up the murder so she could cash in on a life insurance policy. On Wednesday, Melgar, 57, was convicted by a jury of the 2012 murder.

Melgar reportedly slumped forward, put her hands over her face and let out a howl as the Harris County judge delivered the guilty verdict. Her family and friends followed suit, letting out shrieks in the courtroom before tears fell from their eyes.

Moments later, Melgar, who had been free on bail since her arrest, was taken to a nearby jail, news.com.au reported.

She faces five years to life in prison and will return to court for sentencing on Thursday.

During the trial, prosecutor Colleen Barnett argued that the crime scene was not consistent with Melgar's story of a home invasion.

The court heard that her motive was to draw on a $500,000 life insurance policy.

"I would like to thank the jurors for their patience and attention throughout this long, difficult case," Ms Barnett said in a statement released by the district attorney's office.

"Jaime Melgar was by all accounts a wonderful man."

Defence lawyer Mac Secrest argued that there were problems with one of the former homicide investigators involved in the case and "a couple of cowboys" at the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

The lead investigator, who was later fired for backdating a search warrant in a different murder case, also took the stand for the defence.

The jury deliberated for about eight hours before the verdict was handed down.
The defence team and Melgar's family members declined to comment as they left the courtroom.

Melgar has maintained her innocence.