The family of murder victim Beverly Rowbotham spoke to media Friday, the day after her husband Mark Stobbe was found not guilty.

Her sisters, Barb Kilpatrick and Betty Rowbotham, said they were saddened by the verdict.

"We're of course shocked. We're devastated. We're very disappointed with the outcome of the trial," said Betty Rowbotham.

They said they expected Stobbe to be found guilty by the jury.

"We are shocked that 12 intelligent people came to this conclusion. We will never understand," said Kilpatrick.

Beverly Rowbotham was found murdered in October 2000. The Crown argued she was killed in the family's St. Andrews backyard and her body then placed in a vehicle and driven to Selkirk.

"Well, look at the evidence – I mean did somebody from space land in the backyard and do this?" asked Kilpatrick.

At the press conference, the sisters thanked family, friends and the community for support.

They also thanked the Crown attorneys and RCMP, saying they didn't know how hard they worked until the trial.

Her sisters said they learned of details of how Beverly was killed during the court trial.

"We did not know that it was that gruesome. We didn't know there (were) 16 chops to the head," said Kilpatrick.

"It's been a really long and arduous quest for us for justice for Bev. Our family remains strong and united and resilient and we will continue to seek justice for Bev," said Betty Rowbotham.

They also would like to see an appeal filed in the case.

In order to appeal, there must be legal grounds to do so and it has to be done within 30 days.

The Crown, Wendy Dawson, has already asked Manitoba justice to review the case and said she was also disappointed with the verdict.

"I personally don't think you ever get closure. Bev is always going to be dead. She is not coming back. What we do hope is that there is going to be some accountability," said Betty Rowbotham.

They urge anyone upset with the verdict to write to the provincial minister of justice.

Beverly Rowbotham's sisters said they also want to honour her by keeping her memory alive and being good aunts to her two sons.

Before the trial began, four Alberta-based Crown attorneys reviewed the case and found there wasn't enough evidence to charge Stobbe in the first place.

Prior to the trial starting in Winnipeg, however, Judge Martin also ruled there was no evidence the Crown acted in bad faith. 

- with a report from CTV's Stacey Ashley