Earl Washington, 34, of Lubbock was found guilty of murder by a jury Wednesday afternoon.
Washington was indicted for the shooting and killing of John Wilkerson in September of 2007. At trial, the defense pointed to another man, Patrick Davis, who was also indicted for the shooting. Davis pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of tampering with evidence in 2009 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors told the jury that Washington was just as guilty even if he didn’t pull the trigger because he participated in the shooting.
The prosecution said the shooting came from a street gang dispute. The prosecution also said Washington was guilty if he promoted the shooting in any way. There was also evidence that Washington fled to Dallas and told people there that he shot a man in Lubbock.
The defense said Washington helped police recover the murder weapon and cooperated with police because he’s not the one who killed Wilkerson.
A judge will sentence Washington next week.