DES MOINES, Iowa — The jury has reached a verdict in the murder trial of Preston Walls.
Jurors heard eight days of testimony and cross-examination about the fatal January 2023 shooting at Starts Right Here that killed Gionni Dameron and Rashad Carr.
The jury found Walls guilty of:
- Murder in the Second Degree
- Voluntary Manslaughter
- Assault Causing Serious Injury
Walls was originally charged with:
- Murder in the First Degree (two counts)
- Attempt to Commit Murder (one count)
- Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury (one count)
- Criminal Gang Participation (one count)
Walls was found not guilty on two counts: Attempted Murder and Criminal Gang Participation. He will be sentenced on Monday, Nov. 6.
The defense attorney, Darren Page, spoke with Local 5 after the verdict saying he is heartbroken and horrified at the situation.
A packed and very emotional courtroom, all being impacted by this verdict.
"This is a time for prayer, this is a time to reach out to the families, this is not a time for violence, this is not a time to react, but this is a time to support both families," Ako Abdul-Samad with Creative Visions told Local 5 after hearing the verdict.
Closing arguments were given Tuesday morning, giving the jury that afternoon, all day Wednesday and all day Thursday to deliberate.
The defense continued to emphasize that the jury needs to hold the state accountable for their actions, with the legal standard being proving Walls acted with premeditated intent beyond a reasonable doubt.
"What evidentiary value did it bring to you? Did we ever say that this didn’t happen? So, you get to have a closeup of this poor boy with blood coming out of his mouth dead. What did that do for you other than make you angry?” defense attorney Darren Page argued.
The state said all the evidence they showed was necessary to prove that Walls is guilty.
"These videos that you have to watch are because Preston Walls murdered two people and shot a third. It is the defendant's actions who bring these videos to us who we have to watch," prosecuting attorney Daniel Voogt said.