By Jorge Casuso

Monday, May 24 --In a surprisingly swift verdict Monday, Santa Monica Police Investigator Linda Brown was found guilty of attempted voluntary manslaughter in the shooting of her lover and fellow officer Kevin Cummings.

Brown faced charges of attempted murder after her first trial in November resulted in a hung jury, with members voting 10-2 to convict the officer.

This time, the defense painted Brown as the target of a stalking ex-boyfriend whom she shot four times - twice in the chest -- in self-defense after he followed her home. Cummings testified that he was invited to Brown's Ladera Heights home where he was shot after trying to break off their three-year affair.

After listening to new evidence the defense said painted Cummings as a liar, the jury voted 12-0 to convict Brown of the lesser charge. She could face one-and-a-half to 11 years in prison, her attorney Harland Braun said.

"The jury believed that Kevin Cummings attacked her," Braun said after interviewing members of the jury. "They thought he was a liar, but they didn't believe she should have shot him. You have the right to bear arms, but God help you if you use the gun."

In the retrial, which lasted less than two weeks, the defense questioned Cummings' version of the story. Cummings said he encountered Brown on the freeway after detouring to the Santa Monica police station to withdraw cash from the ATM to pay for his daughter's day care.

But bank records showed there were other ATMs Cummings could have withdrawn money from closer to his home and that the child care had already been paid in advance by his wife. Sentencing is scheduled for June 22.