Werner Lippe, the Cortlandt jeweler accused of killing his wife and then burning her body, was found guilty of murder by a jury of his peers yesterday.

The first jury to hear Lippe's case was unable to reach a verdict, but after deliberating for eight hours over two days, a second jury determined Lippe to be guilty in the murder of his wife, Faith, at their Cortlandt home in Oct. 2008.

Dawn Faigle, Faith's sister, says she is relieved Lippe was found guilty and her family finally has some closure.

Lippe had told investigators that his wife left their home after a heated argument, climbed into the passenger seat of a black SUV and then drove off, never to be seen again.

Prosecutors played a tape during the trial where Lippe confessed to killing his wife to a friend. The defense had said Lippe was pressured to make the confession and that it was not genuine.

Lippe faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced in March.

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