New Jersey Man Convicted Of Murder In Fatal Beating Of House-Sitter
WOODBURY, N.J. (CBS/AP) -- A man accused of beating a house-sitter to death at a residence where he used to live as a foster child was convicted Thursday of murder and numerous other counts. Brandon Wilson, 21, of Paulsboro, now faces a potential life term when he's sentenced Feb. 7.
The verdict was handed down by a Gloucester County jury that deliberated for just a few hours.
Brandon Wilson was charged in the September 2017 slaying of 26-year-old Shawneeq Carter. Her body was found by her 5-year-old son and a 5-year-old cousin in the Woodbury home of an acquaintance.
Prosecutors have said Wilson killed Carter after breaking into the home a day after his release from jail, where he was held on drug charges. She was beaten to death with a piece of gym equipment.
The two children were asleep when the attack occurred.
Wilson had lived in the house for five months as a foster child in early 2016 and had been caught trespassing in the home after moving out, authorities have said.
Officials stated Wilson was seen with another man on video in Woodbury the night of the murder.
Wilson's lawyer had challenged the reliability of DNA evidence and suggested Carter had been targeted, arguing that Wilson didn't know Carter and had no motive to harm her.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
