A man accused of shooting and killing two people at a Tulsa Amazon Deal will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
It took a jury two and a half hours to convict Willie Wise, 22, of murdering Scott Norman, 34, and Wesley Brown, 58.
Investigators said from the beginning Brown was the unintended target of the July 2012 shooting.
The jury recommended Wise serve two life sentences without the possibility of parole. Formal sentencing will be decided in front of a judge on April 7.
3/5/2014 Related Story: Testimony Begins In Tulsa Best Buy Double-Murder CaseAfter the verdict was read, the victims' families got on an elevator. Once the doors closed, they cheered in celebration.
When Wise was being escorted out of the courthouse, News On 6 asked the convicted murderer if there was anything he wanted to say about the verdict. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I ain't got nothing to say. Sorry to the victims though."
Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris said Wise did not show regret until a jury handed down the verdict.
"He doesn't have a remorseful bone in his body," Harris said. "He had more than enough opportunity to show that remorse, and now, after he's been punished, he has the audacity to say he's sorry. I don't believe it for a minute."
Surveillance video from the store showed a man police identified as Wise, darting through parked cars to shoot Norman, the "intended target" and gang rival, police said.
Stray bullets also shattered the glass at the front of the store, and one hit Brown, who was inside the store shopping with his young daughter.
Before the verdict was read, some of Wise's family and friends left the courtroom because they didn't think they could hold in their emotions. Tears flowed once they learned Wise was guilty.
The prosecution argued from the very beginning this shooting was sparked by gang retaliation.
"I think these jurors sent a message to all the gangs in Tulsa, that there will be a reckoning day if that's the kind of activity that you want to be involved in," Harris said.
On the final day of testimony, three witnesses took the stand. The intended target's brother, Jermarcho Norman, was first. Deputies brought him in the courtroom, since he is in jail on drug complaints.
Norman was with his older brother when he was shot. He did not reveal much to the jury, but he told them he remembers seeing the glass door to Best Buy's entrance shatter, then he saw his brother on the ground.
Norman said he is a member of the Hoover Crips street gang. The prosecution had him describe the type of tattoos he and his brother have, which indicates they are members of the gang.
Two Tulsa police officers with the gang unit also testified about the gang culture and how members commit crimes to earn stripes.
During closing arguments, the state showed surveillance videos of the suspected shooter following his intended target inside Promenade mall, and later, outside Best Buy. The defense argued the state did not prove Wise was the one actually in the surveillance video.
The defense believed the actual shooter was Jeremy Foster, who is also charged in this case. Foster is being tried separately.
"We have another defendant to go in this case and so we'll have to look at that and get prepared, and at the appropriate time we'll be as prepared for him as we were for Mr. Wise," Harris said.
Wise will be formally sentenced on April 7.
