Today’s headline tells the story of an argument over a window that escalated into tragedy. Kalil McCoy, 20, refused to roll up her window and was shot by Frederick Lee Wade. Wade, also 20, allegedly had three 19-year-old accomplices help hide her body in the woods afterward.
While it appears this shooting was unplanned, it did not keep Wade and his accomplices from attempting to cover it up. The three accomplices spoke to the police but could not get their stories straight and contradicted each other regarding how events unfolded immediately prior to McCoy’s death. The prosecutor suggested that perhaps their guilty consciences were keeping them from eating or sleeping.
Defense attorney Robert Bethea spun a different tale when presenting its argument to the jury. Bethea attorney does not refute the accomplices lied, but instead pointed out several missing details in the prosecution’s case. He argued that if all three of the young men were present at the time of the shooting, they should all have the same story, which was clearly not the case.
The verdict
The jury delivered a guilty verdict less than 30 minutes after they began deliberations despite Bethea’s efforts to sway the jury that Wade did not kill McCoy. McCoy’s mother, Lynnette Roebuck, said the verdict felt good but was bittersweet as nothing can bring her daughter back.
The sentencing of Frederick Lee Wade will take place in June, where he faces a potential 25 year to life sentence. However, the accomplices will face their sentencing sooner, and each one could spend the next 15 years behind bars for their involvement in hiding McCoy’s body.
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