JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After hearing closing arguments Thursday, a jury found Kenneth Lee Thompson guilty of first-degree murder and kidnapping charges in the death of Michelle McCoy.
Thompson, 29, was accused of killing McCoy, 20, nearly five years ago.
At one point, some of McCoy's family chose to leave the courtroom right before a forensic pathologist took the stand. The doctor says the young woman was beaten to death, her body set on fire after she died and then buried in a shallow grave.
Thompson took the stand just before noon Wednesday to give his version of what happened. He largely disputed what happened the night Michelle was killed.
Thompson said he went to pick up Michelle with his uncle in the vehicle. He claims the two were romantically involved.
He told the courtroom that his uncle got into a fight with her shortly after they picked her up and threatened to kill him, too, if he said anything to anyone or tried to jump out of the van.
He claimed Michelle was alive the last time he saw her but believes his uncle ran over her body shortly after their fight.
Prosecutors said Thompson had lied several times about his involvement in the case.
McCoy was reported missing in January 2011. Her body was found a month later on Ribault River Lane, according to police.
Investigators originally identified a different man, Larry Thompson, 52, as a suspect in the case. He committed suicide during a standoff with police, which happened one week after McCoy's body was discovered.
According to a JSO police report, a witness saw "a slender black female" attempting to get out of a van behind the Eveready Lounge, 8917 Washington Street, on the evening of Jan. 10, 2011. She was screaming and trying to get out, but a black male was able to force her back into the van.
The witness later recognized the female as McCoy on a missing persons flyer, according to the report.
In February 2011, police said Thompson confessed his involvement in the incident and told police that he and Larry Thompson lured McCoy into a van at her home on Church Hill Drive, according to the report.
They then drove to the Eveready Lounge and ended up in the 3900 block of Ribault River Lane. Kenneth Thompson told police his uncle, Larry, then strangled McCoy, hit her with a pistol and ran her over with the van, according to the report.
Police said the men buried her body afterwards.
Kenneth Thompson was originally sentenced to life in prison on robbery charges connected to McCoy's death. In 2012, police charged him with McCoy's murder while he was serving time at the Suwannee Correctional Institute.
Police believe Kenneth Thompson and McCoy knew each other and that she had a stolen phone that he wanted, they said.
He's facing life in prison without parole if convicted.
Following the jury's decision Michelle's twin sister spoke about guilty verdict and seeing the man accused of murder spend two hours on the witness stand.
"It was hard I had prepared myself I knew that day would come we would have to sit down and hear his side," said Melissa McCoy.
Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda was also satisfied with the outcome.
"One lie after another, after another. What is boils down to the victim in this case (Michelle) cannot say what happened, we are left with his lies," said the veteran prosecutor. The state is not seeking the death penalty.
Thompson will be sentenced on November 18.
