Columbia man found guilty of second-degree murder

Denico Crawley was found guilty on all four charges Thursday afternoon. He was convicted of second-murder, two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in a shooting that injured a woman and killed a man in June 2017.

Dan Knight, Boone County Prosecutor, said that Crawley’s sentencing hearing will be on Dec. 18th. Knight said he will ask for at least two life sentences.

The third day of Crawley’s trial started with the judge explaining to the jury what charges they would deliberate. Afterward, the prosecutor and defense attorney offered closing arguments.

During closing arguments, Boone County prosecutor Dan Knight told the jurors that the evidence is clear. Knight said Crawley clearly hated Quentin Hurt, who was fatally shot, and that evidence of that was contained in text messages, recorded phone conversations and witness statements.

Derek Roe, the public defender representing Crawely, said in closing arguments that the evidence clearly shows Crawley did not do it.

Roe referred to video surveillance from a Metro PCS store on the day of the shooting, saying that had Crawley had a gun on him in the store and showed Hurt the weapon, others in the store would have noticed and flinched.

Roe said gunpowder residue used as evidence also showed that Crawley didn’t fire the gun because it contradicted a statement by Chelsea Hyde, who was injured in the shooting. Hyde said the shooter fired the gun with his left hand, but Roe pointed out that there wasn’t gunpowder residue found on Crawley’s left hand.

The jury went into deliberations shortly before 11 a.m. to four charges against Crawley: second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon.