PRINCETON, W.Va. — A Mercer County jury has convicted a Virginia man on a charge of first-degree murder.
The 12-member panel found John Norton, 32, of Pounding Mill, Va., guilty Friday in the 2023 shooting death of Mercer County resident Jessica ‘Jessie’ Smith, 40.
Norton was firing a gun at police officers from a residence on Maple Acres Road when Smith, who was in another residence, was struck in the chest by gunfire.
The jury did not recommend mercy for Norton which means he’ll face life in prison without the chance for parole at his sentencing.
A sentencing is expected later this year.