Police said the men pistol-whipped her, blindfolded her, and drove her around while they smoked marijuana and searched for guns that they had concealed off a New Jersey Turnpike ramp.
Eventually, the Northeast Philadelphia businesswoman was dragged out of her car in a rural area of Burlington County and shot behind her left ear.
"Unfortunately, the criminal justice system cannot provide a punishment equivalent to the pain and suffering that was imposed upon the victim and her family," Prosecutor Robert Bernardi said after the verdict was announced.
The woman's adult son and daughter had attended the trial.
Kareem Harrison, 19, who also was charged with the crime, was the star witness against Laurance. Harrison called Laurance the organizer and triggerman. In return for pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter, Harrison will face up to 30 years in prison. The other two men await trial.
During the trial, Raymond E. Milavsky, first assistant Burlington County prosecutor, played a videotape in which Laurance told police that he had gotten into the car after his friends stole it but didn't notice a woman lying in the backseat. By the end of his statement, Laurance admitted that he "was there" when Burshteyn was shot.
Michael E. Riley, Laurance's attorney, argued that Harrison was the real shooter and had lied on the witness stand. Riley had no comment after the verdict.
Contact staff writer Jan Hefler at 856-779-3224 or jhefler@phillynews.com.
