FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — A 12-member jury took just 45 minutes Thursday to convict a Fayette County man on a first-degree murder charge.
The panel found Brandon Shepard, 37, of Oak Hill, guilty in the June 2015 stabbing death of Waylon Scarbrough, 45.
The jury rejected Shepard’s claim the stabbing was in self-defense.
Scarbrough, also of Oak Hill, was stabbed in the stomach and died at a nearby hospital.
The jury’s verdict was first-degree murder with mercy which means Shepard will have a chance for parole in 15 years. He’ll be sentenced later this year.