PEORIA, Ill. – A man has been convicted for his role in a fatal shooting at a Peoria apartment complex two years ago.
The Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office says 23-year-old Javier McGhee was found guilty of First Degree Murder on Thursday for the death of 27-year-old Trashawn Morris. He will be sentenced on June 25th.
The shooting occurred the evening of March 23rd, 2024 at the Lexington Hills Apartments. Officers found Morris unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the chest, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
McGhee argued self-defense was the reason for the shooting at the three-day trial. McGhee told jurors that Morris was pounding on his door and believed he was trying to force his way inside. He then argued that he grabbed a gun from a nearby cabinet, opened the door, fired a single shot, and fled the scene.
Prosecutors contradicted the evidence during the trial, and argued that Morris was of no threat to McGhee.
A resident at Lexington Hills was brought in to testify, and told jurors that it was known that Morris and McGhree were involved in an intimate relationship, and that Morris was not a violent person. The resident added that the pair argued that day about McGhee’s involvement with another person.
Audio from a nearby resident’s doorbell was also played for the jury, where Morris is heard pounding on McGhee’s door three times, and shouts “I told you to stop texting me.” A single gunshot was then heard.
A forensic pathologist testified that Morris had some stippling on his body, and no gun powder on his clothing, which means he was not near McGhee when he was shot.
