An Anne Arundel jury found Anthony Jackson guilty of second-degree murder Friday, but did not convict him on the first-degree murder charge for killing his friend in September 2007 during a fight.
Jackson, 20, of Annapolis, also was found guilty of various handgun charges in the death of Andre Johnson, 19, outside Bay Ridge Gardens Apartments in Annapolis.
Defense attorney William Davis argued during the week-long trial that Jackson was not a murderer when he opened fire at about 10:30 p.m. and shot Johnson five times in front of dozens of witnesses.
He said Jackson walked away from the fight but heard someone in the crowd say Johnson was going to shoot him, so he turned around and fired in self-defense.
Prosecutor Anne Leitess said Johnson was unarmed, and Jackson shot him because he was angry and embarrassed that Johnson beat him up during a “play fight” earlier that day.
Jackson stood with his hands in his pockets and showed little emotion as the verdict was read in court.
He could face up to 30 years in prison for the second-degree murder charge alone.
[email protected]
