Tyshawn Lee murder trial: Jury convicts 1 in killing of 9-year-old Chicago boy lured into alley; deliberations for 2nd suspect continue

ByDiane Pathieu WLS logo
Friday, October 4, 2019
Gunman convicted in Tyshawn Lee murder; jury deliberations resume for 2nd suspect
A jury will resume deliberations Friday morning in the trial of the suspected accomplice in the murder of nine-year-old Tyshawn Lee.

CHICAGO -- A jury will resume deliberations Friday morning in the trial of the suspected accomplice in the murder of 9-year-old Chicago boy Tyshawn Lee.

On Thursday, a separate jury convicted the gunman, Dwright Boone-Doty, in Lee's murder.

Prosecutors convinced the jury Dwright Boone-Doty lured Tyshawn Lee into an alley with a basketball with the intention of murdering him in November 2015 in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood. In less than two hours, the jury came back with a guilty verdict.

Corey Morgan is also standing trial for the nine year old's murder. Prosecutors said that Boone-Doty shot the boy at close range, while Morgan watched in a nearby getaway car with a third man who has already pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors said Morgan planned Lee's murder, drove the car to the scene, and then tried to cover up evidence.

"While we await the second verdict, we are pleased with the first outcome of this case, knowing that the individual responsible for this heinous, retaliatory attack on a young boy will be held accountable. We also thank the members of the jury for their thoughtful deliberation and service," Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx said in a statement.

Prosecutors claimed that Boone-Doty and Morgan targeted Tyshawn as part of an escalating gang feud. They allegedly believed a gang linked to the boy's father was responsible for killing Morgan's brother a few weeks earlier and wounding his mother, according to prosecutors.

Morgan and Boone-Doty are standing trial together with two separate juries and two sets of attorneys. Prosecutors presented one case against both defendants.

Jurors heard 12 days of testimony from eyewitnesses who saw the men playing basketball with Tyshawn in Dawes Park. Prosecutors also presented DNA evidence and in Boone-Doty's case, a confession made to another inmate who was wearing a wire at the Cook County Jail.

Morgan's attorneys presented evidence that police improperly presented some of the photo lineups to eyewitnesses.

Morgan's jury also deliberated for several hours Thursday before stopping for the night and being sent home.The second jury is sequestered and set to continue deliberations at 9:30 a.m.

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