Teen Accused Of Taking Selfie With Friend's Body Found Guilty
GREENSBURG (KDKA) - A jury has found a Jeannette teen, accused of fatally shooting his friend and taking a selfie with the body, guilty of third-degree murder.
It took jurors six hours to convict Maxwell Morton of fatally shooting Ryan Mangen.
Before the jury got the case, Morton took the stand Thursday morning and, with tears in his eyes, said Mangan, 16, was his "best friend."
Morton said the clip wasn't in the gun and he just wanted the gun to "go click" when he pulled the trigger.
"I pulled the trigger and the gun went off," he said.
Defense attorney Pat Thomassey told the jury that the shooting was not about "intent to kill," but rather about "two ding-a-lings" playing with guns.
When asked about why he took a picture with the victim's body, Morton said, "Something in my head told me to take a picture of what happened." Jurors were shown the photo on Wednesday.
During cross-examination, District Attorney John Peck asked Morton why he didn't render aid or use his phone to call 911.
On Wednesday, forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht testified that Mangan could have survived if he had gotten medical care.
The defense asked the jury for an involuntary manslaughter verdict. The prosecution wanted first-degree murder.
Instead, the jury found Morton guilty of third-degree murder, which carries a sentence of up to 40 years.
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