But defence lawyer Joe James Sawyer, as cited by the American-Statesman, told jurors that at the heart of the case, they would find "an unhappy man who decided to leave his life in the most hideous way possible".

Bimal Patel had been struggling financially and could barely pay his bills, defence lawyers told jurors.

They said he told his wife to buy the products at Walmart and helped her load the gasoline into a taxi.

"He killed himself," Sawyer was quoted as saying. "She did nothing wrong."