Rita Heyster was said in court to be "besotted" with Harry Jarvis A woman has been convicted of helping her lover hide his dead wife's body under the floorboards at a house in West Lothian. Rita Heyster, 57, who lived in her lover's garden shed for weeks, had earlier been cleared of murdering Carol Jarvis in her Bathgate home in 2009.
The jury at the High Court in Edinburgh found Heyster, originally from Peebles, guilty of helping Harry Jarvis with the cover-up after his wife's murder.
She will be sentenced later.
Harry Jarvis, 61, is serving a life sentence after being convicted earlier this year of murdering his wife.
A judge ordered him to serve at least 15 years before he can apply for parole.
At the time of the murder, it was common knowledge among neighbours in Bathgate that Ms Heyster was living in a shed in the Jarvis's garden.
Harry Jarvis was convicted of killing his wife Carol Heyster, who had come from a wealthy background but had fallen on hard times, was said to be "besotted" with Jarvis and has continued to visit him in prison.
Prosecutors said her devotion went as far as helping Jarvis hide the body of his 47-year-old wife.
Heyster also pretended to be Jarvis's wife when police called looking for the missing woman.
As the four week trial reached its closing stages, advocate depute Gary Allan QC, prosecuting, described Jarvis as "a manipulative monster".
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