A Milwaukee native was found guilty of attempted murder in the second degree Thursday in St. Louis County District Court in Duluth, after less than two hours of jury deliberation.
Robert Earl McKay III, 18, also was found guilty of attempted assault in the first degree, assault in the second degree and possession of a firearm by an ineligible person. The jury found McKay not guilty of possession of a pistol by a prohibited person.
McKay, accused of shooting another teenager in the abdomen last summer in Duluth, sat quietly as the verdicts were read. Dist-rict Judge Mark Munger scheduled sentencing for July 8 and revoked McKay's bail.
"We're pleased with the result," said Angela Shambour, an assistant county attorney.
Defense attorney Keith Shaw had no comment other than to say: "It will be appealed as a matter of course."
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In his closing arguments, Assistant County Attorney James Nephew urged the jury to find McKay guilty of attempted murder.
"If you shoot someone in [the torso] you can expect them to die, and you're darn lucky when they don't," he said.
In his closing arguments, Shaw questioned the validity of the testimony of the shooting victim, Jame Scott Keup, 18, and two witnesses -- Brian Atallian and Lovell Jeffers. Shaw pointed out that what they told police differed in some respects from their testimony
this week. He also noted that the two witnesses
fled the area after the shooting.
While someone should pay for shooting Keup, Shaw said, "That doesn't mean Mr. McKay should pay if you have a reasonable doubt" of his guilt.
The state called 11 witnesses during the trial, which began Tuesday. Shaw rested his case Thursday morning without calling a witness.
McKay was charged with shooting Keup once in the abdomen with a 7.65-mm semiautomatic pistol on July 8 outside 1715 W. Second St. in an incident involving Keup's ex-girlfriend, who also had dated a friend of McKay's. McKay fled after the shooting. He was arrested Dec. 28 in Chicago.
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A witness told police that McKay said he thought it was "cool how the victim's stomach smoked after he shot him," according to the criminal complaint. McKay also said he "likes the feeling when he shoots someone," a witness said.
McKay and Keup were both 17 at the time of the shooting. McKay was certified to stand trial as an adult earlier this year.
