A Vermilion County Circuit Court jury took less than an hour today (Thursday) to find a Danville woman guilty of first-degree murder. Jurors decided that 39-year-old Lakeisha Cunningham is guilty of murdering 25-year-old Justin Jones of Danville last April. The shooting occurred on the parking lot of a grocery store in the 1600 block of East Fairchild Street.
As he opened his closing arguments Vermilion County Public Defender Mike Mara told the jurors that it might surprise them – but he was going to ask that they find his client guilty of second degree murder. ‘’At no point has there ever been an argument that she shot him,’’ said Mara. The defense claimed that Cunningham was a mother ‘’doing what she needed to do to protect herself and her child.’’
But Vermilion County State’s Attorney Lacqueline Lacy told jurors that ‘’Justin Jones didn’t have a gun and didn’t threaten anyone.’’ Lacy said there was an argument over an accident and ‘’in five seconds he (meaning Jones) was shot and killed.’’ And Lacy added Cunningham ‘’didn’t call the police. She didn’t call an ambulance. She just left Justin to die in that parking lot,’’ added the State’s Attorney.
Jurors were shown a video tape of the shooting just before they went into deliberations.
Cunningham now faces a possible sentence of 45 years to life in prison when she is sentenced on April 25th.
