Opinion ID: 2581358
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Morris murder

Text: On the afternoon of May 21, 1992, three women accompanied Sharoon Reed to University Liquors. As the women left the liquor store in their car, they encountered Shannon Senegal, who was driving a tan-topped, burgundy-colored Nova car; Lavert Branner and defendant were passengers. The men in the Nova were in a hurry to pull out of the parking lot, and one of them shouted at the women to hurry up and move. Defendant displayed a gun to the women, who slowed their car, but followed the Nova at a distance. The women were headed for a birthday party in honor of Ronald Morris. Morris, who knew and was friendly with Senegal, had just parked his car on East O'Keefe Street where the party was to be held when he hailed the Nova, which made a U-turn and pulled next to him. Senegal testified that while he was talking with Morris, defendant, who was in the front passenger seat, suddenly leaned across Senegal and started shooting Morris, announcing, I told you I will get your punk ass back. According to Senegal, defendant harbored a grudge against Morris for an incident about a week earlier when an armed Morris had encountered defendant, who was unarmed, and had mocked defendant's vulnerability. Defendant told Senegal he would get back at Morris. Reed testified that, from the women's car, she overheard Morris as he looked into the Nova from the driver's side say, Damn, you all strapped, indicating that the Nova's occupants were armed. By Reed's account of the shooting, Morris suddenly turned away from the Nova just before she heard multiple shots fired. Dr. Parviz Pakdaman, a pathologist, testified that Morris had five bullet wounds in his heart and lungs, any one of which was potentially fatal. The victim's blood tested negative for drugs but showed a .04 percent level of alcohol.