JEFFERSON PARISH, La. (WGNO) — A New Orleans man accused of fatally shooting and robbing a Gretna barber shop owner in 2021 was found guilty by a jury.
Officials with the Office of District Attorney Paul Connick Jr. said a Jefferson Parish jury found 38-year-old Raymond “Ray” Lee guilty of second-degree murder, obstruction of justice and felon in possession of a firearm on Friday, Feb. 2.
According to court documents, Jefferson Parish deputies responded to a 911 call from a motel in the 2200 block of the Westbank Expressway on Dec. 5, 2021.
At the scene, deputies said they found the body of 35-year-old Alonzo “Zo” Wiley on the floor of a room.
During an investigation, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives discovered that Wiley had been texting a person named “Ray,” who was reportedly lying to him to put “him at ease so Wiley would freely allow him into his motel room.”
Following the text exchanges, the district attorney’s office reported that Lee then carried out an armed robbery.
Court documents state Wiley was shot five times during the armed robbery.
While detectives “found no subscriber information for the person with whom Wiley communicated in those last text messages,” they did find texts between Wiley and Lee’s girlfriend.
Surveillance video footage from the motel showed Wiley’s car and Lee’s girlfriend’s car leaving the motel after 911 was called.
On Dec. 28, 2021, Lee’s girlfriend’s car was found at another motel.
At that motel, court documents state detectives found a bag of ammunition “identical to two brands of spent bullet casings” found at the scene, sunglasses, a necklace and Lee’s phone.
In a search of Lee’s phone, deputies said they found a video of a gun with a visible serial number. Detectives then used the serial number to trace the gun back to Wiley’s niece, who allowed Wiley to carry it.
Deputies said the gun was reported as stolen after Wiley was killed.
According to investigators, data from Lee’s phone was found to conflict with his alibi. Data from Lee’s girlfriend’s phone displayed identical travel data to Lee’s.
The district attorney’s office reported that Lee’s girlfriend “was not involved in the armed robbery and murder and was not charged.”
Lee’s sentencing is scheduled for March 7.
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