HACKENSACK, N.J.  —  A New Jersey jury has rejected a Florida man's claims that he was too fat to kill and has convicted him of murdering his former son-in-law.

Edward Ates said he didn't have the energy to accurately shoot his former son-in-law and escape to Louisiana.

The 62-year-old was 285 pounds when Paul Duncsak was killed in 2006.

Prosecutors said Ates drove from Florida to Duncsak's home in Ramsey, New Jersey, climbed a staircase and shot the 40-year-old.

The victim and Ates' daughter were involved in a bitter custody dispute after their divorce.

Ates testified that he had no reason to want Duncsak dead and couldn't make such a drive that quick because of his weight.

The jury of eight women and four men reached the verdict on its second day of deliberations after a trial that lasted more than a month.