A Portland bartender has been found guilty of murdering her boyfriend after having a heated argument about the meaning of Thanksgiving.
Barbara Michelle, 44, shot and killed Justin Williams, 41, outside the Bluebird Tavern in Portland last year after the both of them had an alcohol-fueled quarrel.
Williams died two days later at the Legacy Emanuel Medical Center.
She was arrested immediately after police arrived at the scene and was arraigned at Multnomah County Circuit Court.
Michelle explained she acted out in self-defense, but the jury did not think it was viable.
They found her guilty of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon as well as driving under the influence of intoxicants.
She will be sentenced early next week.
A Portland bartender has been found guilty of murdering her boyfriend after having a heated argument about the meaning of Thanksgiving (Pictured: Victim, Justin Williams)
Barbara Michelle, 44, shot and killed Justin Williams, 41, outside the Bluebird Tavern in Portland last year after the both of them had an alcohol-fueled quarrel
Michelle testified that after her bartender shift ended at the Perch Tavern, she waited for her new boyfriend to see him.
According to the killer, Williams was annoyed she hadn't been answering her phone after he arrived but surveillance footage showed the two were soon happily drinking.
The couple then drove to the Bluebird Tavern, where Williams was a regular, to continue drinking.
She further told the court that the Native American couple began to argue about the meaning of Thanksgiving.
The attorneys said there was a difference in opinion as Michelle did not celebrate Thanksgiving, but Williams did.
Michelle claimed she tried to de-escalate the situation and said: 'He kept poking at me. He was being rude. So rude. He just kept standing over me.'
But footage showed Michelle leaning into Williams and gesturing in his face as he stood passively in a corner.
Officers responded to the 8700 block of North Lombard Street on the report of a shooting
At the time of her arrest, a witness said Williams and Michelle had been asked to leave the bar when they began arguing loudly and appeared drunk.
Prosecutors noted that Michelle's last words as she left the tavern were 'I'm going to kill him.'
While Michelle testified that the comment to the tavern's bartender was 'exasperated humor,' Deputy District Attorney Melissa Marrero told the jury: 'Such jokes don't turn out to be funny when a man ends up dead.'
Camera footage shows the couple shoving each other.
At the same time, two bystanders told the police the pair continued arguing, with Michelle eventually pulling a revolver from her purse and yelling that she would 'blow his head off.'
Defense attorney Joshua McCain told the court that Michelle told Williams to stay away from her while she held the gun, but he stepped forward and she fired a warning shot into the ground.
'He still doesn't stop coming at her,' McCain said.
Michelle then shot Williams once in the chest as he took another step forward, lodging a bullet in his spine.
'You don't get to shoot somebody because they pushed you,' Marrero said. 'She brought a gun to a shoving match.'
The court could sentence Michelle for at least 10 years of prison next week.
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