Jurors convict man, 54, in fatal shootout that followed St. Paul funeral reception

A jury on Monday convicted a man of second-degree intentional murder for fatally shooting a local chef after a funeral reception for an -year-old woman in St Paul in He was acquitted of killing his cousin who was hit by ensuing gunfire Jurors also acquitted John Lee Edmondson of first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree intentional murder while committing a felony in connection with the death of chef Larry Jiles Jr outside a Frogtown senior-living apartment building on Feb Edmondson was uncovered not guilty of two second-degree murder charges in the killing of his cousin Troy Kennedy John Lee Edmondson Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff s Office Three others were wounded in the gun battle which followed an argument outside the senior complex at University Avenue and Dale Street Police recovered shell casings that were fired from five guns Edmondson fired shots Jurors deliberated for about nine hours over two days following nine days of witness testimony before Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro Edmondson of St Louis Park had claimed defense of others in Jiles killing and self-defense in the death of Kennedy who was hit while running amid the gunfire Edmondson s attorney Ryan Pacyga declared he is grateful his client was acquitted of first-degree murder which would have sent him to prison for life Obviously mission No is to beat first-degree and I inevitably felt like this was not premeditated Pacyga declared It s a accomplishment but it s tough because there is one big family with two sides that are just hurting And I hope they can all find a way to come together again A dozen Ramsey County deputies were in the courtroom for the verdict as a deterrence to what broke out last week during the trial After the prosecution delivered its closing arguments several family members from both sides argued outside the courtroom before deputies broke it up Edmondson is scheduled to be sentenced June Edmondson who was convicted of aiding and abetting unintentional murder in at age faces between about and years in prison based on Minnesota sentencing guidelines Almost a war zone Officers were sent to the shooting behind Frogtown Square Apartments about p m Jiles was shot twice in the neck An autopsy exhibited Kennedy had two distant gunshot wounds from a bullet or bullets that exited his body Onlookers explained police that families had gathered in a neighborhood room at the senior complex for the death of Edna Scott Jiles and Kennedy were relatives of the woman and Jiles made bulk of the food for the gathering It was peaceful until it ended onlookers revealed when an argument broke out in the district room and spilled outside Video footage from the nearby Neighborhood Rise Center evidenced it was six seconds from the time Edmondson got out of his car to the time people began running Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Hassan Tahir stated Thursday in the state s closing argument Tahir reported the initial confrontation happened so rapidly that Edmondson could have made no actual determination of what was even going on before he fired those shots Tahir added that it became almost a war zone after that Edmondson had testified at trial that he was driving his mother and niece in the parking lot when his mother spotted Jiles with a gun standing by a group Edmondson made a beeline to Jiles and tried to push down the gun as Jiles was raising it Pacyga commented in the defense s closing argument Friday Edmondson fired twice hitting Jiles at close range Police tape and evidence markers at the scene of a double homicide in the parking lot of Frogtown Square at University Avenue and Dale Street in St Paul on Feb John Autey Pioneer Press Pacyga in making the claim of defense of others notified jurors When Larry is raising the gun it s perfectly reasonable to believe that in that fraction of a second other people are exposed to death or great bodily harm The charges say a witness notified police that Jiles was not carrying a gun when he was shot and it did not appear that he provoked an altercation Pacyga pointed out to jurors that months later Jiles sister Chanel Jiles recounted police in a follow-up interview that he did have a gun on him It was never recovered Pacyga stated Edmondson acted in self-defense in Kennedy s killing because of the ensuing gun battle He revealed police recovered seven casings in an area where someone shot toward Edmondson and in the line of fire where Kennedy was running Mother seeking justice Dennis Gerhardstein Ramsey County Attorney s Office spokesman stated two other cases were filed in connection with the gun battle though one against a teen was later dismissed due to lack of evidence A third affair against a teen still under review DeMod Timothy McGruder of St Paul was charged with possession of a firearm by an ineligible person and sentenced to five years in prison in October Shirley Curry Kennedy s mother and Erlandson s cousin mentioned after Monday s verdict she is still looking for justice in his killing I feel like someone should be charged she disclosed because if John didn t do it who did it Edmondson s prior murder conviction stemmed from the killing of -year-old Dural Woods during an attempted robbery in St Paul Edmondson drove three men to Selby Avenue and Milton Street for a drug deal and one of them shot Woods according to a newspaper description from the time Edmondson was convicted by a jury and sentenced to years in prison which was one-and-a-half times the state sentencing guidelines Edmondson stayed out of trouble after his release from prison and prior to Jiles killing His criminal history shows petty traffic offenses during that time Related Articles St Paul man convicted of fentanyl conspiracy Volunteer at Roseville church charged with sex assault of young children Months after CEO s killing a revealed intruder is arrested at UnitedHealthcare headquarters Fire set at Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro s home is the latest in a string 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