She paused and shook her head. She turned and cried. She expressed reluctance to verbally affirm the plea agreement she just signed.
But Jessica Alinsky eventually told a judge Wednesday she murdered her live-in boyfriend in Hazle Township in September 2011, saying she was guilty of third-degree murder.
Moments later, Alinsky told reporters she didn't do it.
"I would never hurt him," Alinsky, formerly of Shenandoah, said while being led from the Luzerne County Courthouse. "Time will tell, and the truth will come out."
For now, Alinsky remains a killer in the eyes of the law, having admitted guilt while under oath in open court.
Prosecutors said she shot live-in boyfriend Matthew Gailie, 34, in the face at point blank range at 247 Muskegon Circle in Hazle Township on Sept. 2, 2011.
Gailie's family said they saw Alinsky's admission in court as a step toward justice, but understand it appears she already may be trying to back out of the plea.
"We're ready for anything. Honestly, I feel sorry for her. She's delusional," Gailie's sister, Ariana Gailie, 35, said. "If she can't accept what happened, she's going to suffer for the rest of her life."
Alinsky faces a maximum of 40 years in state prison for killing Gailie, who was a state correctional officer. She and prosecutors did not agree to a sentence.
Luzerne County Judge Tina Polachek Gartley set sentencing for 1 p.m. May 16.
Gartley repeatedly warned Alinsky that a guilty plea would end her case and her chance to fight the charges.
"Knowing all this, is it still your intention to plead guilty?" Gartley asked.
Alinsky paused, then cried, before telling the judge, "Yes, your honor."
Alinsky initially claimed Gailie shot himself during a dispute at their home. Following a frantic 911 call by Alinsky the night of Sept. 2, 2011, police and paramedics found a bloodied Gailie dead on the couple's living room floor with a gunshot wound to the face. Alinsky insisted Gailie shot himself following a heated domestic dispute about finances.
Gailie's death remained under investigation for several years, but a coroner's inquest was held in July and a jury determined Gailie's death was homicide. The jury said Alinsky was the killer, having fired the gun inches from Gailie's face.
At the inquest, Alinsky invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when called to the witness stand.
Before Alinsky pleaded guilty, Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Daniel Zola outlined the crime to the judge. He said Alinsky shot Gailie in the face, then manipulated the scene to look like a suicide.
"The defendant's actions were not justified or provoked," he said.