Jury convicts second man in murder of Hadiya Pendleton, a death that shook the gun debate
On Thursday, Micheail Ward, the second man accused of fatally shooting 15-year-old honor student Hadiya Pendleton, in a case of mistaken identity was found guilty of first-degree murder, CNN reports.
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Along with the murder conviction, Ward was also found guilty of two counts of aggravated battery in a case that recharged a national debate on gun control reform in 2013 as Pendleton became the face of Chicago gun violence.
Prosecutors said Ward sought retaliation against rival gang members and killed Pendleton after firing into a crowd gathered at a Chicago park located less than a mile from President Obama’s Chicago residence.
The killing garnered nationwide attention and was inserted in the middle of the gun control debate. Hadiya’s parents later became gun control advocates and spoke publicly pleading for more stern policy to alleviate gun violence.
On Wednesday, Kenneth Williams, who drove the getaway car was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery, according to reports.
Ward admitted mistakenly killing Pendelton in a taped confession to police. But his defense attorneys that his admission was coerced, according to CNN affiliate WLS.
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News of Pendleton’s Jan. 2013 murder shook the nation. The high school majorette was fresh off of a trip to President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, where she and her band from King College Prep High School performed.
After the verdict came down, Ward’s mother April was angered by the decision and said her son’s confession was coerced.
“The police officers sat on that stand and lied. They lied about so many things. And I’m disappointed in our criminal system,” she said Ward. “I’m disappointed how they just harassed these kids into a confession, witnesses. I’m disappointed, and I’m upset, and I’m hurt.”
However Pendleton’s parents spoke to reporters outside the Chicago courtroom, thankful that justice had been served.
“My tears today are because I feel like finally, something positive in our life has happened, as a result of our daughter being gone. There is justice for Hadiya now, because she did not deserve that,” said her mother Cleopatra Cowley.
“It’s surreal. It’s something we’ve been waiting on for over five years,” Nathaniel Pendleton, Hadiya’s father said. “We got justice.”
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