Jury convicts man who fatally shot woman in Minneapolis parking lot

A Hennepin County District Court Jury found Nicholas Jefferson guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a woman in a parking lot, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday.

The jury returned the verdict Friday morning after deliberating all day Thursday. Jefferson, 32, of Minneapolis will be sentenced July 11 and the lawyers will argue over the length of the sentence. The presumptive sentence under the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines is slightly more than 35 years.

During the two-week trial, the jury heard evidence and watched surveillance video of the May 12, 2017 shooting of 26-year-old Iesha Wiley of Minneapolis.

At around 3 p.m. that day, Wiley’s boyfriend, Marvel Williams, pulled into the parking lot at Broadway and Lyndale Avenues in North Minneapolis. Jefferson was in the car with Williams.

Williams went into a business where Wiley was and began arguing with her, demanding that she put down the infant she was holding. She refused and Williams punched Wiley in the face and stole her cell phone. At that point, Wiley put down the baby, pursued Williams into the parking lot and sprayed him with mace.

By now, they were near the car and Jefferson reached across the inside of the car and fired a shot out the passenger window, killing the young woman.

Jefferson’s attorney argued that the prosecution had not proved it was Jefferson who fired the shot.

Williams, who testified against Jefferson, pleaded guilty to aiding an offender and will be sentenced June 20.