Brandon Phillips found guilty of 2nd-degree murder in Captain's Quarters shooting

Brandon Phillips was found guiltyFridayof second-degree murder in the 2015 death of Larry Wellman, who was killed after he tried to stop an armed robbery at a downtown St. John's hotel.

There was no audible reaction in the St. John's courthouse when the Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court jury delivered its verdict.

One male juror was visibly upset, with his eyes closed and face in his hands.

The 12-person jury, which started afourth day of deliberations on Friday, returned to court with a decision just after 11 a.m.

Following the verdict, Phillips's mother Deborah toldCBCNews that she's glad the trial is over.

"It's been long and hard on the family," she said.

"You performed an extremely important duty in our society and I wanted to thank you for the care and attention you gave the case," Justice Valerie Marshall told the jurorsafter receiving their sentencing recommendations, which were not publicly disclosed.

"Judging one's fellow person is a huge and significant responsibility."

Prosecution pleased, but not celebrating

Following the verdict, outside prosecutorsMark Heeremaand Shauna McDonald told the media that they were satisfied with the jury's decision.

"We're pleased with the verdict. Certainly this was a long case, a case where clearly the jury paid a lot of attention, deliberated for a while," Heeremasaid.

"At the end of it, it's not going to bring Mr. Wellmanback, so there's nothing particularly happy or something to celebrate today.

RAW: Crown pleased with verdict

7 years ago

Duration 0:32

Crown prosecutors Shauna McDonald and Mark Heerema discuss the second-degree murder verdict.

Meanwhile, defence lawyers Mark Gruchy and Jeff Brace said they felt they had a compelling case, but were resigned to the jury's decision on Friday. They said they will now turn their attention to parole eligibility proceedings.

"Obviously Mr. Phillips is disappointed," Brace said. "We've been spending a long period of time getting ready for this, and we certainly had a degree of optimism with respect to certain issues regarding the evidence."

RAW: Lawyers for Brandon Phillips react to verdict

7 years ago

Duration 2:20

Jeff Brace and Mark Gruchy discuss the second-degree murder verdict in the Captain's Quarters shooting trial.

Ten years is the minimum amount of time Phillips will spend in jail before he is granted parole, while the maximum is 25 years.

Speaking to the jurors following the verdict, the judge said she will decideparole eligibility. Individual jurors have the right to make a recommendation within that range, but they are not required to.

Marshall toldthe jury thatit's an individual decision and that they have to consider Phillips's character and the nature of the offence.

The jury forepersonprovidedan envelope of recommendations to Marshall.Thosedetails won't be disclosed specifically, only as part of Marshall's broader sentencing decision.

When asked by reporters for his reaction, Phillips remained silent as sheriffs' officers placed cuffs on his wrists.

A date for thesentencing hearing will be set next Friday.

The killingof Larry Wellman

Phillips, 29, had been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Larry Wellman, 63, who intervened during an armed robbery at the Captain's Quarters Hotel on Oct. 3, 2015.

Wellman, a father and grandfather, was playing video lottery terminals, getting a bite to eat and having a drink with his partner of 11 years, Linda McBay, when a masked man came into the bar.

The couple wason a house-hunting trip during his two-week turnaround from his construction job in Labrador. Wellmangrew up in Corner Brook and had been a firefighter.

'Put the f--king money in the bag'

Shortly before midnight, a masked man walked into the bar and pointed a sawed-off Winchester 12-gauge shotgun at bartender Janet Hutchings.

"Put the f--king money in the bag right now," the gunman said. Video and audio of the attempted robbery and shooting were captured on the bar's surveillance system.

Wellmanwas getting drinks at the bar when hesaw Hutchingsbeing held up, and he intervened.

Hutchings told the jury that Wellman was likely struck by the masked man and she watched him fall backwards.

A short while later, Wellman picked up a table and thrust it towards Phillips.

Wellman'sspouse screamed, desperatelytrying to get her husband to stop, and at one point, put herself between Wellman and Phillips.

"Hey, buddy. This one's f--king loaded," Phillips said."Save your husband. Save his life."

Wellman was shot. He died later in hospital.

Throughout the course of the trial, the jury learned police had DNA evidence tying Phillips to the crime had been found on the mask used by the armed robber.

A pair of Nike Air Jordan sneakers found at Phillips's home on Quidi VidiRoad contained DNA belonging to Phillips and Wellman.

The sawed-off shotgun was also discovered by police in the home, hidden under a couch cushion.

Defence calls no witnesses

Phillips and his then-girlfriend Jade Ball, daughter of Newfoundland and LabradorPremier Dwight Ball, were being watched for days after the shooting.

A Royal Newfoundland Constabulary surveillance unit watched the couple's movements, between Phillips's home a short distance away from the Captain's Quarters Hotel, to Jade Ball's father's apartment at the Tiffany in the east end of St. John's.

Jade Ball had been considered a person of interest in the case, defence lawyer Jeff Brace told the court.

A DNA sample was taken from a "cast-off" an item that is thrown away containing a person's DNA, like chewing gum or a cigarette butt from Jade Ball but it was never sent for testing.

She was never charged in relation to the shooting.

The defence decided against calling any witnesses to the stand, including Jade and Dwight Ball, who had been listed as potential witnesses.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Past stories from the trial for Brandon Phillips

• 'Nobody be a f--king hero': Chilling video played at Brandon Phillips trial
• 'I told him I loved him': Widow's emotional last moments with Larry Wellman revealed in court
• Police officer lay in pool of blood to comfort Larry Wellman in last moments
• Captain's Quarters patron testifies locking eyes with robber before shooting
• Larry Wellman killed by single gunshot wound, medical examiner testifies
• Shotgun, mask entered as evidence in Brandon Phillips 1st-degree murder trial
• Gunshot residue found on hat discovered after Captain's Quarters killing
• Expert at Brandon Phillips trial says shotgun discharged without pulling trigger
• It's a match: DNA of Brandon Phillips found on hat, sneakers, jury told
• Dwight Ball's apartment, cars watched as daughter tracked during Phillips murder investigation
• A look inside 30A Quidi Vidi Road: Jury sees evidence in Brandon Phillips trial
• 'He wanted more': Robber who shot Larry Wellman wanted cash from VLTs, court told

Want to follow along in real-time? Follow our trial live blog.