JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The woman who killed 16-year-old Teneria McClendon at a Wawa in Jacksonville was found guilty at the conclusion of her second trial Thursday.
Shaetavia Cooper's first trial in January 2023 ended in a mistrial, as the jury could not come to an agreement.
Cooper shot McClendon at the Wawa on Wilson Boulevard near Lane Avenue South on July 18, 2020.
Her defense relied on her claims that she shot McClendon to protect herself. She told jurors at her first trial that she feared for her life when she got into an argument with a group of women, including McClendon.
Both the state and defense agreed that the argument began with a verbal altercation. The state said that McClendon was protecting her mother, who was pregnant at the time, during the argument.
The state said Cooper escalated the conflict unnecessarily. She was seen on surveillance footage going to her car to retrieve a gun and re-entering the Wawa.
Assistant State Attorney LeTesha Campbell said Cooper decided "that she did not want to argue and she would not be disrespected... she decided to silence Tinerea," and then, "she silenced her forever."
Cooper's sentence is currently scheduled to be set on August 26.