A 44-year-old Salinas woman was found guilty in Monterey County Superior Court on Wednesday of bludgeoning her former boyfriend to death while he lay on a bed in 2010, according to the district attorney's office.

A jury found Verginia Turner guilty of premeditated and deliberate murder in the slaying of family law attorney Mark Hafen at his Salinas home on Aug. 27, 2010, according to District Attorney Dean Flippo.

Prosecutors will request that Turner receives a sentence of 25 years to life at her sentencing hearing that is set for Feb. 1, according to Flippo.

During her trial, Turner claimed that Hafen had abused her physically, emotionally and sexually, but three of her former boyfriends testified that she had made false charges against them and was prone to violent and jealous rages.

Two of the ex-boyfriends pursued restraining orders against Turner to prevent her from contacting them, according to Flippo.

Hafen obtained a restraining order against Turner in 2009 after their relationship ended and also received an order removing her from his home in July 2010, the district attorney said.

Hafen's body was found lying on the floor of his bedroom on September 1, 2010, five days after investigators said he died from being bludgeoned, prosecutors said.

Two days after Hafen's body was found, Turner told a Salinas police detective that the former husband of Hafen's new girlfriend was responsible and that she had last seen Hafen sleeping on the floor in his home, prosecutors said

But during the trial, the defendant testified that she hit Hafen in self-defense with a metal bar he kept for protection, then placed a garbage bag under his head to prevent blood from staining the carpet, prosecutors said.

An expert in blood spatter patterns testified that Hafen was hit while lying on a bed with his back to Turner, prosecutors said.