CROWN POINT | A Lake County Superior Court jury on Thursday found a 31-year-old Chicago man guilty of murder for his role in the drug-related shooting of a man with a $20,000 price on his head.
Jurors deliberated from noon until after 10 p.m. Wednesday on the fate of Lyndon Davis before returning Thursday to find him guilty after about 40 minutes.
Davis and his uncle, Robert E. Davis, 46, also of Chicago were involved in the July 2011 shooting of Parrish Myles, 38, of Dolton, who at the time was staying in the Mansards Apartments in Griffith.
The shooting in broad daylight led to an immediate police pursuit of the men through Griffith, Hammond and Highland before the men were apprehended.
The trial revealed a South Side Chicago drug dealer, identified as Terrell Wells, also known as "T" or "Tank," had ordered the hit on Myles believing he was responsible for missing drug money.
The bounty consisted of $10,000 in cash and 200 grams of cocaine.
The hit was handed to Lyndon Davis, who claimed reluctance to shoot Myles as ordered.
Instead Davis, who confessed to his role in the incident, mentioned the hit to his uncle, Robert Davis, who not long before had been released from prison after serving 23 years on a prior murder charge.
The agreed shooter, Robert Davis was convicted last year and is serving a 65-year sentence.
The younger Davis is alleged to have admitted the two men talked about the hit on Myles on their way to the Mansards, but jurors twice sought assistance from the court on the law regarding aiding and abetting a murder.
Defense attorney Kevin Milner, of Merrillville, had argued the younger Davis had not anticipated his uncle would shoot Myles with so many witnesses about. Witnesses included people cutting their lawn and kids riding their bikes. The men also had encountered two security guards on the property.
Milner also asked jurors if his client had been in on it from the beginning, why would his uncle stop his car during the pursuit offering his nephew an escape?
On Thursday, Milner said the long deliberation had indicated the possibility of a hung jury or even acquittal.
"I'm very disappointed with the verdict," Milner said following the jury's decision after only 40 minutes of deliberation.
Milner said jurors earlier had indicated they were far from a verdict.
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