The man accused of shooting and killing the manager of a hotel in Oxon Hill, Maryland was found guilty Wednesday afternoon nearly two years after the murder.
After deliberating about three hours, a jury convicted Deandre Weems of all three counts against him: first-degree murder, robbery and assault.
Weems was accused of robbing the Clarion Hotel on Oct. 21, 2013 and shooting worker Jesse Chavez, 27, when he came to the help of a pregnant coworker.
"We're removing a violent person who had a previous record from our community, who had no regard whatsoever for life," Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said in front of the courthouse in Upper Marlboro.
The suspect, identified by police as Weems, entered the lobby of the hotel at 6400 Oxon Hill Road about 10 p.m., jumped over the counter and demanded money from the front desk clerk, holding a gun to the abdomen of the pregnant woman. Chavez ran to help his coworker and blocked the exit as Weems tried to escape.
Weems did not take the stand during the two-and-a-half-day trial, and his lawyer called no witnesses.
In Weems' defense, his lawyer said cell phone logs placed him 5 miles from the hotel when the shooting occurred. Also, the lawyer said witnesses described the shooter as having short hair but Weems had long dreadlocks.
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Weems' sister, Dominique Weems, said she sympathized with Chavez's family but that her brother was not the killer.
"I understand they want justice because they lost a son, but you've got to think about it -- if you convict my brother for something he didn't do, I'm going to be losing a brother," she said.
Weems is expected to be sentenced in October. The two men police say were his accomplices will be tried separately in October.
