A jury in Bismarck has convicted a 17-year-old of murder in connection with the 2022 shooting death of a South Dakota man at a Bismarck motel.
Jesse Taylor Jr. of Mandan was found guilty of murder for the death of 28-year-old Maurice Thunder Shield, as well as aggravated assault for allegedly wounding a motel worker in the shooting.
Taylor was tried as an adult. He could be sent to prison for life without parole. A state district court judge called for a pre-sentence investigation.
Taylor’s attorney said his client was acting in self-defense after a verbal altercation with Thunder Shield.
The prosecutor said that Taylor had the opportunity to escape from Thunder Shield, who appeared agitated. The prosecutor said, by firing five rounds from a handgun over several seconds, the teen intended to kill him.
Taylor, then 16, fled after the shooting. He was arrested soon afterward in Warren (MN).
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AP