The Wake jury on Thursday convicted Wilson of first-degree murder in the February 2007 death of Nneka Wilson. The panel now will recommend either life in prison or a death sentence.

The jury deliberated more than 14 hours over three days before concluding that Wilson plotted to kill his wife and did not simply snap in a sudden fit of anger, as his defense attorneys had argued in hopes of getting a lesser conviction of second-degree murder.

Wilson, 24, showed little reaction to the conviction. His wife's family, however, rejoiced at the verdict.

Her stepfather, James Hill, yelled "Hallelujah!" when he was told, outside the courtroom door, about the verdict.

"You just don't think that anyone would kill your child," said Claudette Hill, Nneka Wilson's mother. "Someone who you've accepted into your home, fed meals and accepted as your son."

Nneka Wilson, 24, a home health care aide, was the main breadwinner for her family. The couple's children turned 4 and 2 this week. Nneka Wilson's mother and stepfather adopted them after the murder.

Two friends of Jakiem Wilson testified that he admitted stabbing Nneka Wilson as she stepped out of the shower at the couple's home near Wendell. He told them that she nagged him and he worried that he would have to pay child support if the marriage ended.