08/12/09
First Defendant in Downtown Murders Guilty -
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The entire city was shocked by the murders Downtown of Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler last year. The murders appeared then and still appear to have been completely senseless. The first defendant, James Broadnax, was on trial this week. The Dallas Morning News Crime Blog has announced that the jury has returned with a guilty verdict. Deliberations look to have been about 40 minutes. Matthew Butler owned Zion Gate Records on State St near Glenbrook and Stephen Swan, his close friend, was the studio's sound engineer. Butler was married; he and his wife had two young children. Jailhouse confessions by Broadnax and accused accomplice, Demarius Cummings, to several media outlets contributed to the air of disbelief surrounding the murders. Broadnax was unrepentant. The two were accused of taking a small amount of change from one of the victim's pockets and taking Swan's car. The penalty phase of the trial begins tomorrow. An article in yesterday's DMN covers the first part of the trial. |
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