By james art A Forsyth County jury this week convicted a Winston-Salem man of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felon in the August 2020 death of another man, authorities said.
Jurors deliberated for two hours before finding Quinton LaJuan Duncan, 33, guilty of both crimes, the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office said.
Forsyth Superior Court Judge Todd Burke sentenced Duncan to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the district attorney’s office said.
Winston-Salem police found Aaron Lamar Shepherd, 28, with gunshot wounds and lying on the ground on Aug. 15, 2020, outside 106 Fir Drive, police said at the time. Shepherd died at the scene.
During Duncan’s trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Duncan arranged to meet Shepherd at Shepherd’s home on Fir Drive, the district attorney’s office said.
Duncan arranged the meeting on the premise of selling drugs to Shepherd, the district attorney’s office said. Duncan drove to Shepherd’s home, lured Shepherd outside and then shot Shepherd four times, the district attorney’s office said.
Neighborhood video surveillance showed the shooting, the district attorney’s office said.
During Duncan’s sentencing hearing, Aaron Shepherd’s mother, Lavonia Shepherd, told Burke that her son loved his four children.
“Nothing can bring Aaron back to his children and their family,” Lavonia Shepherd said in a statement from the DA’s office.
In a statement, District Attorney Jim O’Neill said Shepherd’s death was a “cold-blooded act of depravity.”
“While we understand there is nothing we can do to bring Aaron back to his loved ones, we hope and pray that Aaron’s family will eventually find peace and bring closure to this tragic event,” O’Neill said.
Court records show Duncan was convicted in April 2011 of using a firearm in the commission of a felony in Hampton County Court, Virginia.
A judge sentenced Duncan to serve three years in a Virginia prison.
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