A Peoria County jury convicted a man of first-degree murder Tuesday in a 2021 fatal shooting on the city’s South Side.
According to a news release from the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office, jurors found Marvin Alexander, 24, guilty in the death of De’Monyae Phelps, 19. Prosecutors say Phelps was shot in the chest three times in a dispute over $70.
The incident happened in July 2021 in the 300 block of South Shelley Street. Officers responding to a report of shots fired found Phelps slumped over the console of a vehicle on the side of the road that was still running.
Despite attempts at life-saving measures, Phelps was pronounced dead at the scene. Police collected six shell casings from the location that had been fired from a rifle.
During the three-day trial, three witnesses testified that a group of friends gathered in the area after playing basketball at a nearby park shortly before midnight. They said Phelps arrived in his car, and they saw Alexander shoot him following a confrontation.
Alexander’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 12.
