Tyrone Steele: New Orleans man faces life without parole for 2022 shooting spree that took four lives
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: An Orleans Parish jury found 20-year-old Tyrone Steele guilty of four out of five counts of murder after roughly four hours of deliberation. The jury's deliberations started at noon on Thursday, March 7 and the decision came shortly after 4 pm.
Steele was declared guilty of three first-degree murder counts, one second-degree murder count, one aggravated burglary count, one conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary count, and one illegal use of weapons count.
Meanwhile, he was found not guilty on one count of second-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder conspiracy and one weapons charge.
What sentence will Tyrone Steele receive?
The date of the sentencing hearing is March 15. Steele must serve a mandatory life term without the possibility of release. According to Jerome Matthews, Steele's lawyer, some evidence was not presented fairly, and he intends to file an appeal, Fox8 reported.
After a terrifying series of murders that took five lives over the course of 45 days in 2022, Steele was taken into custody at the age of 18. In one instance, on March 21, shortly after three in the morning, Steele opened fire in a two-story building located in the 4100 block of Encampment Street, killing Amya Cornin, 21, Nehemiah Jones, 24, and Darrin Williams, 27.
In a different instance, a body was discovered in a 7th Ward abandoned home.
In addition, Steele murdered Shane Brown, 20, who was discovered shot dead in a canal on March 26 in the Little Woods neighborhood of New Orleans East, close to the intersection of Morrison and Gannon Roads.
Tyrone Steele accused of murderous rampage
The trial started on Monday, March 4, and continued with serious accusations and fierce courtroom arguments. Steele was depicted by the prosecution as the mastermind behind a heinous murderous rampage that targeted both strangers and acquaintances.
A number of guns, cartridges, and casings were on display on their desk. Defense lawyers pointed out in their closing arguments that there was insufficient proof to connect Steele to the crimes.
“We’re talking about Mr Steele’s life, freedom, and future. Not guilty is a just verdict,” attorneys said.
According to court documents, Steele was previously charged with two different murders and one attempted murder in cases that date back to 2020. In May 2020, Steele was taken into custody on suspicion of second-degree murder.
On April 7, 2021, the district attorney's office dismissed those accusations and moved the case to juvenile court. Additionally, according to court records, Steele was charged on June 17, 2021, with second-degree murder.
Six months later, on December 9, Williams' office declined to pursue that case.
