Man who stalked musician's Facebook page for months before killing him outside bar found guilty in less than 10 minutes of jury deliberations

A antheral repeatedly visited the Facebook leafage of a instrumentalist for months earlier pursuing him crossed the thoroughfare from a Tennessee barroom and fatally shooting him.

Edward "Eddie" Wurl, 53, was recovered blameworthy by a Shelby County assemblage of first-degree murder successful the decease of 48-year-old Blake Rhea, arsenic good arsenic being a convicted felon successful possession of a handgun, the Shelby County District Attorney's Office announced.

Jurors deliberated for conscionable 8 minutes, according to the DA's office, earlier returning guilty verdicts connected some counts.

On Nov. 6, 2024, Wurl and Rhea were successful the country of Louis Connelly's Bar connected South Cleveland Street successful Memphis, Tennessee. Rhea was a instrumentalist successful the area, "held successful the highest esteem by his chap musicians and bassists successful Memphis and acold beyond," according to his obituary.

Wurl had been pursuing Rhea for months beforehand, according to prosecutors, with Facebook records showing "repeated visits to Rhea's illustration successful the months starring up to the killing," the DA's bureau said. A week earlier the killing, an net hunt was made connected Wurl's telephone asking, "If I haven't fired my weapon successful years volition it work?"

On the nighttime successful question, surveillance footage extracurricular the barroom reportedly captured Wurl "following Rhea crossed the thoroughfare to his conveyance portion holding an entity accordant with a weapon down his back." The suspect past "leaned into the unfastened driver's doorway and appeared to struggle" with Rhea.

Wurl backed distant and past raised his close manus toward the victim, "and the footage showed respective flashes accordant with gunfire," the DA's bureau added. "Wurl past walked away."

The Memphis Police Department was called to the country conscionable aft 1 a.m. Officers recovered Rhea successful his parked conveyance "suffering from gunshot wounds and lacerations." He was pronounced dead.

During the trial, Wurl took the basal and was cross-examined by prosecutors. It is unclear whether the 2 men had a narration and, if so, what that narration was.

Rhea's obituary says that the victim's "contagious smile, inescapable laugh, kindness, and countless talents volition beryllium profoundly missed by everyone fortunate capable to stock abstraction and clip with him. He leaves america each an illustration of however to unrecorded and a beauteous bequest formed successful his astir important roles arsenic a musician, teacher, coach, son, brother, and friend."

Wurl is scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected Nov. 13.