Marcus Randle El, former Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver, convicted on two counts of first-degree murder
Former Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Marcus Randle El was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder on Tuesday, according to media reports.
Randle El was charged in the shooting deaths of two women in February 2020.
After deliberating for about two hours, a Janesville, Wis., jury found Randle El guilty on the murder charges.
It also found him guilty on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and another count of operating a vehicle without consent while possessing a weapon.
First-degree murder in Wisconsin is punishable by up to 60 years or life imprisonment, depending on the nature of the act.
Prosecutors argued that Marcus Randle El killed one of the women after coming to the belief that she was informing police about his drug dealing business and then killed the other woman to ensure there were no witnesses.
No murder weapon was ever found, but text messages and surveillance footage linked him to the killings, according to law enforcement.
Randle El's attorneys argued that the prosecution had not met the burden of proof needed for a murder conviction, given the absence of the weapon and of any DNA evidence.
Antwaan Randle El, Marcus' brother and former Indiana and NFL wide receiver, and the current wide receivers coach for the Detroit Lions, was present in the courtroom, according to the AP.
(AP)
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