Emanuel Samson found guilty of first-degree murder in 2017 Tennessee church shooting
Emanuel Kidega Samson planned and carried out a brutal mass shooting that killed a woman and terrorized her Antioch church, leaving its members with scars seen and unseen, a jury ruled Friday.
The unanimous jury of 12 found Samson, 27, guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Melanie Crow, who was walking through the parking lot of Burnette Chapel Church of Christ with her Bible and sermon notes in hand when Samson shot her three times in the back and once in the face.
Samson also was found guilty on a slate of 42 other charges, including attempted murder for injuring seven other church members, three counts of civil rights intimidation and 24 counts of aggravated assault.
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The verdict was a resounding victory for prosecutors, who said at trial that Samson, who is black, planned to kill 10 white churchgoers in retaliation for a 2015 church shooting in which nine black worshipers were slain.
Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of life without parole for the first-degree murder charge. The trial jury will consider the sentence at a separate hearing. Sentencing on the other counts will be determined by Judge Cheryl Blackburn.
Samson's attorneys already have begun preparations for an appeal.
Terror inside the church: 'He's killing everybody'
Prosecutors had overwhelming evidence against Samson.
He arrived at Burnette Chapel, a church he once attended, on Sept. 24, 2017 with guns, a knife and a stockpile of ammunition.
He wore a tactical vest and a white mask with a pink smile painted across the mouth.
He left his SUV running in the parking lot with a note on the dashboard that mentioned "vengeance" for Dylann Roof, the white supremacist who killed nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina.
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He first encountered Crow.
Crow had ducked out of church after Sunday service to get a cough drop from her car. She told minister Joey Spann she would be right back.
She was just outside the front door when Samson opened fire.
He hit her four times as she was running away. One of the bullets hit her heart. Another split the side of her face.
Crow ripped a rear-view mirror off of a car as she collapsed onto the hot asphalt. She died within seconds.
From there, Samson headed toward the church, where a crowd of worshipers was mingling in the vestibule.
Spann saw him coming and tried to stop him at the doorway. He threw a wooden, home-made prayer box at Samson.
Samson responded with gunfire, hitting Spann in the chest and the hand. Then, he sprayed the crowded vestibule with bullets.
He hit Peggy Spann, the minister's wife; William and Marlene Jenkins; Linda Bush; and Catherine Dickerson.
All six shooting victims took the stand against Samson during the four-day trial. Fellow church members showed their support, taking a bus to court each day.
As bloodied bodies fell to the floor, terror rippled through the church's worship space. Church members curled under pews, cowered in the baptistery or bolted for the doors.
Those who escaped the building brought a harrowing message with them, one that church member Alecia Leach recalled from the witness stand.
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"He's killing everybody," she said.
Inside the church, members described Samson pacing up and down the aisles, holding out a gun.
Until Robert Caleb Engle intervened.
Engle first grabbed at Samson as he walked down the main aisle of the sanctuary, when Samson pistol-whipped him. Then Engle confronted Samson again, standing in front of Samson and grabbing at him when the gun went off.
Samson was hit and fell to the floor. Samson said he intended to shoot himself.
While Samson was on the ground, Engle retrieved his own firearm from the parking lot and stood over Samson until police arrived. Prosecutors and defense attorneys alike hailed him as a hero.
Defense pointed to Samson's mental health to explain the shooting
Defense attorney Jennifer Thompson never argued Samson wasn't the shooter. Instead she pointed to his deteriorating mental state to explain his actions and argue against the first-degree murder charge.
A psychiatrist diagnosed Samson with schizoaffective disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Thompson had fought to use an insanity defense at trial, but Blackburn, the judge, said Samson had not met the steep requirements to do so.
Thompson argued that Samson didn't have a plan to kill people when he arrived at the church that day. She said he wanted to seek help in the midst of suicidal depression.
Samson took the stand to defend himself, saying he had fond memories of attending Burnette Chapel years before the shooting. He said he didn't remember any details from the shooting and could not explain his motives, except to say that he had shot himself while standing in the sanctuary.
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During closing arguments, Thompson said Samson opened fire on Spann because of a "startle reflex" after Spann threw the prayer box at him. Church members hung their heads in tears or walked out of the courtroom as Thompson made her case.
Samson's credibility with the jury likely took a hit when prosecutors played recordings of him and his girlfriend laughing about the shooting and the victims less than a month afterward during jailhouse phone calls.
Follow Adam Tamburin on Twitter @tamburintweets