Witt's Father: 'Something No Family Should Go Through'

PLACERVILLE, Calif. (CBS13) -- The father of Joanne Witt, the woman that 21-year-old Steven Colver was convicted Wednesday of murdering, said he hopes the end of the trial can finally allow him to find some peace about the strange and bizarre story that led up to his daughter's death and granddaughter's imprisonment.

When the jury announced Wednesday afternoon that they found Colver guilty of first-degree murder after just three hours of deliberation, Norb Witt embraced Colver's mother.

"That's not the first time we've embraced," Witt said during an exclusive interview with CBS13. "We've been embracing for days when the cameras are off."

The strange circumstances that led Colver and Norb's granddaughter, Tylar Witt, to plot the murder of Joanne Witt in 2009 has brought both families together in grief, Norb said.

"It was a loss for two families," he said. "I lost my daughter and granddaughter. She lost her son."

Prosecutors described Colver as terrified after Joanne Witt discovered he was having a relationship with her underage daughter and planned to report him for statutory rape. Investigators found male DNA on Witt's body and prior confessions thwarted attempts by Colver's defense to convince the jury that Tylar Witt had actually committed the murder.

Norb said he will always remember Joanne as a loving person who lived for her daughter. "She never had a bad word to say about anybody," he said.

He declined to comment about his current relationship to his granddaughter Tylar.

Norb attended court every day during the trial and said he was saddened to learn of the circumstances that led to the crime and hopes he can move on now that the trial has concluded.

"Maybe I can get some sleep at night instead of waking up with nightmares every night," he said.

Colver faces the possibility of life in prison without parole at his August sentencing. Tylar Witt accepted a plea deal of 15 years to life in prison in exchange for testifying against Colver.