Jury finds man guilty of murder in Tennessee church shooting

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A jury on Friday found a man guilty of first-degree murder in a shooting at a Nashville church two years ago that left a woman dead and seven wounded.

Jurors deliberated less than five hours before delivering the verdict against Emanuel Kidega Samson. He was found guilty on all 43 counts in the indictment.

Samson, 27, is black; the victims are white. Samson left a note about a 2015 shooting massacre at a South Carolina black church and aimed to kill at least 10 white churchgoers in revenge, Deputy District Attorney Amy Hunter said. Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence without parole.

Congregants of the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ testified during the trial about the hail of bullets and the bloody scene that unfolded in front of them just after their Sunday worship service concluded. Some had the gunshot wounds to show for it.

After the verdict was read, they poured into the hallway, cried and hugged each other.

Burnette minister, Joey Spann, remembered Samson as a different man years ago when he was a member of Spann's congregation. The preacher, who lost a finger in the shooting spree, said the congregants haven't even heard "I'm sorry" from Samson.

"I hope that that other Emanuel Samson comes back," Spann said following the verdict. "I also hope he comes back to him in jail for the rest of his life. But I hope there's no punishment after that."

The September 2017 shooting rampage killed 38-year-old Melanie L. Crow of Smyrna, Tennessee. She was shot in the church parking lot while she walked out to her car to get a cough drop, dropping her Bible and notes, Hunter said.

Samson testified that he didn't remember committing the crime. He said his mental health disorders have caused lapses in memory and constant shifts from feelings of...