Delaware County jury finds Muncie man guilty of murder, recklessness
MUNCIE, Ind. — After deliberating for more than six hours, a Delaware Circuit Court 5 jury on Thursday night found a Muncie man guilty of murder.
Armon D. Edwards, now 29, was accused of fatally shooting Jordan Jarrell Rowe, 28, also of Muncie, during a confrontation — outside a Marathon convenience store in the 900 block of East Main Street — on Oct. 7, 2018.
Deputy Prosecutors Doug Mawhorr and Jagen Arnold said Edwards approached Rowe in the store's parking lot and repeatedly struck him in the head with a handgun before fatally shooting him.
Before he was mortally wounded, Rowe also shot Edwards in the chest. The prosecutors said that gunshot was fired in self defense.
In his closing remarks on Thursday, defense attorney Randall Cable said his client had approached Rowe over an incident that saw gunshots fired at the Muncie home of Edwards' grandmother.
More:Anderson men sentenced for roles in ex-Muncie resident's killing
"He repeatedly, and repeatedly, and repeatedly indicated he was trying to protect Grandmother," Cable said. "He had to stand up for her."
However, Arnold and Mawhorr said that incident had taken place more than a week earlier, and that there was no indication Rowe had fired those gunshots.
They maintained Edwards had not acted in "sudden heat" or shot Rowe in self-defense.
"There is no evidence of Jordan Rowe provoking Armon Edwards at the gas station," Mawhorr said. "The only thing that Jordan Rowe did was defend himself."
Edwards did not testify at this week's trial. Jurors viewed recordings of two statements he gave to police investigators in the immediate wake of the slaying.
They also repeatedly watched surveillance videos that showed the fatal encounter outside the store.
Cable suggested his client's remarks to police had been influenced by pain medication he received at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, where he received treatment for his gunshot wound.
Arnold said Edwards had described what took place in the parking lot with "surprising clarity."
Judge Thomas Cannon Jr. set sentencing for Nov. 9. In Indiana, a murder conviction carries a maximum 65-year prison term.
Edwards was also found guilty of criminal recklessness, a Level 6 felony carrying up to 30 months in prison.
The jury began its deliberations at 2:48 p.m. after Cannon read final instructions. The judge announced the verdicts about 9:30 p.m.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Delaware County jury finds Muncie man guilty of murder, recklessness
