Man Convicted In 2015 Erie Party Slaying

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ERIE, Pa. (AP) - One man has been convicted of first-degree murder and another was acquitted in the 2015 shooting death of a teenager in Erie.

The Erie Times-News reports that jurors deliberated for nearly seven hours before convicting 20-year-old Keshawn McLaurin and acquitting 21-year-old Demond Mitchell on Friday.

A judge acquitted 20-year-old Jahaun Jones and 22-year-old Stephen Russell on Thursday after a prosecution witness failed to appear.

All were charged in the July 2015 death of 16-year-old Shakur Franklin, who was killed by gunfire from a sport utility vehicle driving through an Erie party. Four other people were wounded. Another teen was killed in a separate shooting.

Three defendants said they weren't at the scene. McLaurin's lawyer acknowledged that his client was there but said he had nothing to do with the shooting.

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