The announcement of the verdict in the sentencing trial of convicted cop killer Marco Parilla Jr. was marred by confusion on Friday, as an error on the jury's verdict form led to a seeming reversal from a death sentence for Parilla to a sentence of life in prison.

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Emotions ran the gamut in the courtroom gallery from a tearful outburst of relief at the announcement of the death penalty verdict to stunned disbelief when Judge Joseph Bulone realized that the jury's verdict had been misunderstood.

Parilla and his lawyers gasped when the verdict was corrected, and Bulone announced that Parilla would receive a life sentence.

Teresa Kondek, the widow of slain Tarpon Police Officer Charles Kondek, delivered a tearful response to the court minutes after the correct verdict was delivered.

"I wasn't supposed to be a widow at 43," Kondek said. "You shoved me into this life of grief and I will never be the same person. The least you can do is look at me."

Parilla's attorneys called the verdict mix-up a "gut punch" to them and their client that still has their stomachs turning.

"I know all the air went out of me and it was terrible," said Bjorn Brunvand, one of Parilla's attorneys. "I cannot imagine what was going through [Parilla's] mind."

After leaving the courtroom, Kondek and her family told us they never were expecting to leave the room truly happy.

"For a few brief minutes we had a sigh of relief, and to have that taken back was a little devastating," Kondek said. "But either way, Charlie doesn't come home."