Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

Man charged with killing CCU student found guilty

The man charged with murder in the death of a Coastal Carolina University student last year was found guilty this afternoon by a jury in Conway and was sentenced to life in prison.

Keion Griffin, 19, was found guilty of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in the May 25, 2008, fatal shooting of Corey Brooks outside a home on Third Avenue North in Myrtle Beach.

Griffin did not testify today and the defense rested its case at noon.

Earlier this afternoon, the jury had said it was deadlocked after nearly four hours of deliberating, but the judge sent them back to continue deliberating.

Prosecutors ended their case this morning.

On Tuesday, Demario Stukes, 19, also charged with murder in Brooks’ death, testified for the prosecution that Griffin had a gun and fired one shot into Brooks as he lay on the ground.

The incident began as Stukes, Griffin and Darius Priest, now 17, walked from the Landmark Hotel back toward their homes and saw a car with three girls inside trying park outside the house, Stukes testified. Several men at the house told the girls they could not park there.

Stukes testified Griffin went up to the girls, who the men knew, and told them they could park there and some of the men, who were intoxicated, got upset. One of the men said he was calling the police, but Griffin slapped the man’s cell phone from his hand and then pulled out a gun, Stukes said.

At that time, Stukes said he began fighting with another man and Brooks came and jumped on his back to help his friend in the fight with Stukes. Griffin hit Brooks in the back of the head with the gun and knocked Brooks and Stukes to the ground, Stukes testified.

On Monday, Priest testified and recounted a similar description of the events. Priest was charged as a juvenile at the time of the incident and is serving a juvenile sentence. Priest testified that he brought a .22-caliber pistol to Ocean Boulevard the night Brooks was killed, but said he gave the gun to Stukes. Before the night was over, Griffin ended up with the gun and used it to shoot Brooks, he said.