Pike County jury deliberates for 15 minutes before convicting man of murder

TROY, Ala. (WAKA) – A jury in Pike County only needed 15 minutes before convicting a man of murder.

District Attorney James Tarbox says Xavier Edwards was convicted of murder and certain persons forbidden to possess a  gun in the murder of Andre Thompson.

Thompson was killed in Troy on October 23, 2021.

Tarbox says testimony and evidence showed that Edwards and Thompson were at a bar on U.S. Highway 231. Around 1:30AM, Edwards left the parking lot in his vehicle and then returned. Edwards got out of his vehicle and approached the vehicle that  Thompson was in. After words were exchanged, Edwards pulled out a pistol and fired two shots at Thompson, hitting him in the chest.

Edwards fled, while Thompson was taken to Troy Regional Medical Center where he died, Tarbox said. The shooting was recorded by the bar’s video surveillance system.

Tarbox says Edwards has multiple prior violent felony convictions. It was illegal for him to have a gun under Alabama law.

Edwards is scheduled for sentencing on August 10, when he faces a potential sentence of life without parole due to his criminal record.