SOUTH BEND — A jury Wednesday found a 33-year-old South Bend man guilty of murder in a 1995 drive-by shooting, following two days of testimony.

Jarrode E. Phillips will be sentenced Sept. 26 on one count of murder and one count of attempted murder, and is likely to spend most of the rest of his life in prison, as he has yet to complete a federal sentence on various racketeering, drug and weapons offenses.

Phillips will complete that sentence in 2020 before he begins serving time for the crimes of which he was convicted Wednesday, said Ken Cotter, St. Joseph County chief deputy prosecutor. He faces up to 65 years in prison on the murder count and up to 50 on the attempted murder count.

"That was our goal," Cotter said keeping Phillips, who he called a violent criminal, in prison for possibly the rest of his life.

One of Phillips’ victims, Spencer Johnson, is currently in jail awaiting trial on dealing cocaine charges. He testified against Phillips on Tuesday.

Phillips’ other victim, Weldon Jeffries Jr., died of his injuries following the drive-by shooting, which took place Aug. 10, 1995, at the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Illinois Street in South Bend.

Jeffries’ relatives declined comment as they left the courthouse Wednesday.

Johnson and Jeffries were standing near each other at Jefferson and Illinois and were beginning to talk when a car pulled up and shots were fired. Johnson was believed to have been targeted in retaliation for an earlier killing.

Cotter said Wednesday police don’t know who else was in the vehicle with Phillips, just as they don’t know who else might have helped Daniel Groves Jr. in another 1995 drive-by.

Groves is serving a 65-year sentence for murder after a trial in June at which Johnson testified against him.

Staff writer Pablo Ros:
pros@sbtinfo.com
(574) 235-6357