Saturday, February 3, 2007

Kokomo, Indiana

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette of February 3, 2007
60-year-old acquitted in Kokomo shooting death

Jurors acquitted a defendant who said he acted in self-defense in a shootout that killed a man at a busy commercial area of the city.

The jury deliberated 3 1/2 hours Thursday before finding Willie Winston, 60, not guilty of murder in the death of 24-year-old DeMarco Moore.

Earlier in the day, Winston took the stand and said he had no choice but to shoot after Moore came at him and his family with a gun.

Prosecutors say Winston exchanged gunfire with Moore on Jan. 27, 2006, outside a fast-food restaurant near Markland Mall on the city’s east side. Moore died the next day at a hospital in the city about 50 miles north of Indianapolis.

The jury Thursday also acquitted Winston on felony charges of possession of an altered handgun and criminal recklessness. They did convict him of a misdemeanor charge of carrying a handgun without a permit, which Winston did not dispute.

Deputy Prosecutor Jeremy Peelle said evidence disputed Winston’s claim that Moore fired the first shot.

“DeMarco Moore did not have to die on that day,” Peelle told jurors. “Is he an angel? No. Willie Winston’s decision to carry a gun changed lives that day and ended one life.”

Winston worked for Chrysler for 31 years and had no criminal history, said his defense attorney Brent Dechert.

As he left the courtroom, Winston said, “Thank God, and thank Mr. Dechert.”

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