BY AMBER HUNT
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
It took Macomb County jurors just three hours today to convict a 39-year-old Warren man of felony murder in the May shooting death of his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend.
Dwayne Edmund Wilson is set to be sentenced to life behind bars Jan. 20 for fatally shooting Kenyetta Williams, 32, in the shoulder and back.
As eight sheriff's deputies stood guard in case of an emotional outburst, Wilson also was convicted of second-degree murder, using a firearm to commit a felony and assault. He was acquitted of a charge of first-degree home invasion.
Though jurors didn't convict Wilson of premeditated murder as prosecutors had charged, Assistant Prosecutor Steve Kaplan said his office is happy with the outcome because of the mandatory life imprisonment.
"Whether he was convicted of first-degree murder or felony murder, it's a life sentence," Kaplan said.
Wilson was accused of breaking into 41-year-old Katherine Horton's home May 26, tying her daughters up with duct tape and waiting for her and Williams, a Florida man she had met on the Internet.
Wilson's family declined to speak to reporters after the verdict. His lawyer, Azhar Sheikh, told them Wilson likely will be put on a 24-hour suicide watch at the Macomb County Jail, where he will await his sentencing by Circuit Judge Matt Switalski.
Before jury selection on Tuesday, Wilson had tried to delay the start of his trial by firing Sheikh and representing himself. Switalski didn't allow it.
As the jurors were individually asked to confirm their verdicts, Wilson stared intently at each of them, then glared at Kaplan as the lawyer left the courtroom.
Contact AMBER HUNT: 313-223-4526 or alhunt@freepress.com.
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