Man not guilty in Lexington killing after another man confesses on stand to shooting
After just one hour of jury deliberations, a Fayette County jury found the man on trial for a fatal 2023 Lexington shooting not guilty — the same day another man confessed he was the real shooter.
Corry Jackson, 38, had been charged with murder in the April 2023 killing of 43-year-old Timonte Harris in Lexington. But on Wednesday, the final day of Jackson’s trial, another man — Courtney Wrenn — confessed to shooting and killing Harris.
The jury went back for deliberations around 1 p.m. Wednesday. By 2 p.m., they had returned a not guilty verdict. A gun charge against Jackson was also dismissed.
Both Harris and another person, 32-year-old Lakeisha Hill died in the shooting on Chestnut Street. Police said Harris killed Hill, and then Jackson killed Harris, and Jackson was indicted in June 2023. Jackson was not charged in Hill’s death.
The announcement led to several of Jackson’s family members being escorted from the courtroom after they began to celebrate. Neither family spoke with media after the verdict was read.
Daniel Whitley, Jackson’s attorney, was emotional before and after the verdict. He said after the verdict that his chest was pounding before the jury returned and he cried in the bathroom.
Whitley said the verdict was proof that the jury system still works, though he hopes to avoid similar circumstances for future defendants.
”We are all on trial,” Whitley said. “The community is on trial to make sure that the system works, and it is a lot of pressure when (if) you don’t think of the right thing, it could put a person in prison for life.”
Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Andrew Gillespie said he was happy for Jackson — and happy the jury did their job to determine the hard facts of the case.
Gillispie said his office would “talk about” whether Wrenn would now be charged in Harris’ death.
Closing statements
Gillespie said during his closing statements that the jury had “all the puzzle pieces” to convict Jackson in Harris’ killing.
But some of those “puzzle pieces” tied another man, 35-year-old Courtney Wrenn, to the crime and scene, including his blood inside the home and his DNA on the weapon used to kill Harris. Wrenn was dating Hill, toward whom Wrenn said Harris had tried making romantic advances in the past — establishing a potential motive against Wrenn.
Gillespie conceded that Wrenn was at the scene, but said his DNA was likely found on the gun because he was also shot during the gunfire.
“It doesn’t mean Wrenn shot (Harris); it just means that he handled that gun at some point in time,” Gillespie said.
Prosecutors focused on Wrenn not being forthcoming with investigators about his involvement. Why, they asked, would Wrenn allow an innocent man to sit in jail for over a year, while never telling prosecutors or detectives he was the shooter?
Gillespie instead focused on evidence from two witnesses who identified Jackson walking away after the shooting. Other evidence against Jackson included two additional sets of DNA found on the murder weapon. This DNA was not able to be matched conclusively, according to experts.
Gunshot residue was also confirmed to be on Jackson, but the defense argued this residue can appear if someone is near where bullets are shot. Gillespie pointed out Jackson’s contradicting stories: that no one was with him at the time of shooting, which later changed to Wrenn and Hill being present when Harris approached them in all black and started shooting.
Whitley said prosecutors were not bringing forward all the pieces. He said they left out valuable evidence that would exonerate his client, including the vest worn by Harris, video footage that showed the shooting — which was deleted when detectives asked for it — and not showing the houses where the shooting occurred and their witnesses lived.
Whitley argued that based on the structure and location of the homes, the witnesses would not have been able to see the shooting.
Whitley said prosecutors would spin evidence to make Jackson seem guilty through “false perceptions and inferences” while asking jurors to “ignore their own evidence and science.”
“They want you to fulfill the requirements of a broken system,” Whitley said.
Most importantly, Whitley reminded jurors that another man confessed to the crime and conclusive evidence put him there.
Jackson was arrested one block away from the scene of the shooting, and neighbors later identified him as the shooter. The witnesses testified at trial that they heard the shots fired, and then saw Jackson walking away from the scene.
Wrenn testified he had no reason to lie to protect Jackson, but felt confessing was the right thing to do.
Wrenn said he returned fire toward Harris in self-defense.
What happened the night of the shooting
When police arrested Jackson for the shooting, he told them he was sitting alone on his stepmother’s porch, at 425 Chestnut Street, charging his phone when the gunshots rang out but didn’t know the direction they were coming from.
Jackson said he took off, running through the home’s fence, which resulted in cuts on his arms and legs. When he was detained by police, Jackson did not have a phone, and said he left it at home when he ran. Police never recovered Jackson’s cell phone from the scene.
Jackson was adamant that he did not kill anyone or fire shots.
Later, in a second interview with police, Jackson did say Wrenn was with him on the porch when they were approached by a man wearing all black and in a mask who said, “What’s up now?” The man, later identified as Harris, then fired shots.
In his testimony Wednesday, Wrenn told the jury he was on the porch with his girlfriend Hill and Jackson.
Wrenn said he had not interacted with Harris before the shooting, but knew Harris had tried to make romantic advances toward Hill.
When Harris approached, Wrenn said he was in all black and didn’t know who he was. Harris shot Wrenn twice, and he shot Hill multiple times, according to testimony.
Wren said Hill dropped her gun, so he picked it up and returned fire for their safety.
“I didn’t have any intention to kill anyone,” Wrenn said. “I thought it was necessary to protect myself and the woman I love. There was no ill intent.”
Wrenn said he made the 911 call to police. He can be heard in the recording saying, “My girlfriend’s been shot!”
He waited for police to help Hill before he left the scene, he said.
Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Kathryn Webster stressed the fact that Wrenn left the scene of the shooting and that he was entirely uncooperative when asked to speak with law enforcement or prosecutors about the case.
She repeated the claims about Hill being someone he loved so deeply, but asked how, then, could you leave her? And why not follow up with police to find out what happened?
“Did you take the time to say ‘I want to talk with you all and find out who killed my loved one, and that an innocent man is in jail?’”
“No, I did not,” Wrenn said.
This is a developing story and could be updated.
This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 10:37 AM.
