Jurors have convicted a man for one murder and acquitted him of another from when he opened fire at a family memorial gathering in St. Paul, then asked others there, “Who else wants it?”
John Lee Edmondson, 54, of St. Louis Park, was found guilty Monday in Ramsey County District Court of second-degree intentional murder in connection with the shooting of Larry Earl Jiles Jr. more than two years ago outside Kings Crossing by Episcopal Homes, a subsidized apartment complex for seniors.
The jurors acquitted him of the same count stemming from the shooting of Troy Robert Kennedy. They also came back with not guilty verdicts on first-degree murder counts for each killing.
The jury did not offer an explanation for the split verdicts, but the instructions from Judge Leonardo Castro included that Edmondson’s claims of self defense and defending others can be factors in their deliberations.
After the verdicts, defense attorney Ryan Pacyga posted on social media that this was “a complicated and tragic case” and gave a nod to claims that Edmondson was defending himself and others.
Edmondson, who also was found guilty of illegal gun possession, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11.
Late in the afternoon on Feb. 25, 2023, a group met in the community room for the memorial before filtering out to the parking lot, where the shots were fired that struck Kennedy, 37, of St. Paul, and Jiles, 34, of Hugo, a chef who was catering the event.
Edmondson’s criminal history in Minnesota includes a conviction in Ramsey County and imprisonment for aiding and abetting second-degree murder in 1993 by acting as a getaway driver during a holdup. At that time, he was part of a gang that robbed drug dealers, the charges revealed.
