Current:Home > Contact-usJury convicts ex-NFL draft prospect of fatally shooting man at Mississippi casino-InfoLens
Jury convicts ex-NFL draft prospect of fatally shooting man at Mississippi casino
View Date:2024-12-23 14:38:54
BILOXI, Miss. (AP) — A former NFL draft prospect has been found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for shooting a man to death on the floor of a casino on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.
Jurors deliberated for only 46 minutes Thursday before reaching a guilty verdict in the trial of Jereme Lamond Jones, 32, of Mobile, Alabama, a former wide receiver at the University of South Alabama, news outlets reported.
Prosecutors credited the strong evidence captured on surveillance video that showed Jones’ movements from the time he arrived at the Golden Nugget casino in Biloxi on Sept. 18, 2021, until he chased Randy Johnson down and shot him 10 times.
Harrison County District Attorney Crosby Parker and Assistant District Attorney George Huffman called the killing an “execution.”
“Our defendant is chasing an unarmed man who’s running away from him, and he’s trying to tell you it’s self defense,” Parker said in closing arguments. “You wouldn’t buy that story anywhere else in your life. You wouldn’t buy it at work. You wouldn’t buy it at home. Don’t buy it here. It’s ridiculous. “
Johnson and a friend, Tamara Willis, had gone to the casino to celebrate her birthday and were in its bar for over an hour before Jones showed up. Willis testified that they didn’t know Jones, but he kept looking over at them. Jones eventually walked over and asked Johnson if he wanted “to take it outside.”
Willis said he told her it seemed Johnson was looking at him like he had “heels on.”
The two men walked to the parking garage and started fighting. Johnson threw the first two punches, surveillance video shows, and Jones fought back.
A gun and holster fell out of Jones’ waistband. After seeing it, Johnson ran back into the casino, told Willis about the weapon and kept running around gaming tables and through the crowd. He tripped and fell, and Jones caught up with him and shot him.
“He was murdered for nothing. It’s just sad,” Erica Weary, Johnson’s cousin told WLOX-TV.
“That was overkill,” said another cousin, Jantail Thomas. “It really was.”
Thomas said she is glad that Jones was sentenced to life: “You take a life, you get yours taken too. I understand his family is hurting. ... we’re hurting too.”
Johnson’s mother, Anetta Johnson, said she forgives Jones.
“I wish and pray that he would accept accountability,” she said. “I just thank the Lord and hopefully he will ask God to forgive him for his sins.”
veryGood! (4229)
Related
- Manhattan rooftop fire sends plumes of dark smoke into skyline
- Takeaways from Supreme Court ruling: Abortion pill still available but opponents say fight not over
- Caitlin Clark says 'people should not be using my name' to push hateful agendas
- It's the most Joy-ful time of the year! 🥰
- Seattle man faces 5 assault charges in random sidewalk stabbings
- A 9-year-old boy is fatally shot in Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 'It should not have happened'
- Germany vs. Scotland UEFA Euro 2024 opening game in Munich: How to watch, rosters
- Army Corps finds soil contaminated under some St. Louis-area homes, but no health risk
- Travis Kelce's and Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Houses Burglarized
- Sandy Hook families want to seize Alex Jones' social media accounts
Ranking
- Jon Gruden joins Barstool Sports three years after email scandal with NFL
- Euro 2024 predictions: Picks for final winner and Golden Boot award
- TikTokers are eating raw garlic to cure acne in viral videos. Does it actually work?
- Relationship between Chargers' Jim Harbaugh, Justin Herbert off to rousing start
- South Carolina lab recaptures 5 more escaped monkeys but 13 are still loose
- 'House of the Dragon' star Matt Smith on why his character Daemon loses his swagger
- Micro communities for the homeless sprout in US cities eager for small, quick and cheap solutions
- Trump once defied the NRA to ban bump stocks. He now says he ‘did nothing’ to restrict guns
Recommendation
-
Social media star squirrel euthanized after being taken from home tests negative for rabies
-
Jenelle Evans Shares Update on Her Kids After Breakup From “Emotionally Abusive” David Eason
-
Judge says trial is required to decide government’s antitrust case over Google’s advertising tech
-
Rhode Island lawmakers approve $13.9 billion budget plan, slew of other bills
-
Trading wands for whisks, new Harry Potter cooking show brings mess and magic
-
White Lotus Star Theo James Once Had a Bottle of Urine Thrown at Him
-
Report uncovering biased policing in Phoenix prompts gathering in support of the victims
-
Missing Bonnaroo 2024? See full livestream schedule, where to stream the festival live