Brian Ebers, Chad Anderson, J. Michael Rodriguez, Linda Krustinger

A jury has found a local man guilty in the August 1996 double murders of two teens, 1 1/2 months after a previous jury could not reach a verdict.

Following five hours of deliberations, a jury comprised of five men and seven women found Labron C. Neal guilty of six counts of first-degree murder in the Aug. 11, 1996, shooting deaths of Terrance Mitchell, 16, of Carbondale, and James Austin Campbell, 15, of Murphysboro, outside a party at Carbondale Mobile Homes.

The first trial ended July 24 in a hung jury after 10 days of testimony and 25 hours of deliberation. The first jury was deadlocked at 11-1 for a guilty verdict.

We had 12 jurors who believed he did it instead of 11, State’s Attorney Mike Wepsiec said following Tuesday’s verdict. The families are relieved to get this over.

There were five days of testimony in the retrial, which began Sept. 2. Deliberations began at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday and ended at 9:25 p.m.

Neal’s bail was revoked, and a sentencing date was set for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 9. Neal faces a minimum sentence of 20 years and is eligible for natural life in prison. He is not eligible for the death penalty.

Jackson County Circuit Court Judge William Schwartz said it is good for everybody that the trial is over.

The trial went smoothly, the lawyers performed in a good, efficient manner, he said.

Upon hearing the verdict, one of Mitchell’s relatives said, Yes! and clapped her hands.

Campbell’s family exited the courthouse in Murphysboro immediately following the verdict. Campbell’s father, James Allen Campbell, is an SIUC associate professor in curriculum and instruction.

It’s a damn good night, Cynthia Love, Mitchell’s mother, said.

Neal’s family gathered around him, saying, Be strong, and hang in there.

Prior to the verdict, Neal was smiling at his friends, giving them the thumbs-up sign. After the verdict, he smiled at his friends and family.

Defense attorney Paul Christenson does not know if Neal’s family will ask him to represent Neal in the appeals process.

We have a lot of issues to be appealed, he said. I truly believe the jury had evidence of reasonable doubt.

The defense rested its case earlier in the day following the testimony of the defendant.

On Tuesday, both Wepsiec and Christenson focused their closing statements on the circumstantial evidence presented in the case.

Wepsiec described the circumstantial evidence as a jigsaw puzzle that you put the pieces together to see the picture.

Christenson admitted during his statement that Neal is not a nice guy, but there was no hard evidence linking Neal to the murders.

If the evidence presented proved beyond a reasonable doubt that my client shot those two kids, then I would ask you to find him guilty. But this jigsaw puzzle that Mr. Wepsiec is talking about is a very confused picture, Christenson told the jury.

Conflicting testimony and confusion is not evidence, and there was an awful lot of that.

During his two-hour testimony earlier in the day, Neal told the jury his version of the night of the murders, and testified that Mitchell’s death was the result of a struggle for the .22-caliber revolver. Neal said Reggie Cavitt, on whom the defense pinned the murders, shot Campbell after Campbell ran from the scene.

Neal testified he was present during the murders, but did not kill the two teen-agers.

Christenson asked Neal to hold the murder weapon in his hand. Neal proceeded to show the jury how Campbell held the gun in his right hand at about hip level.

After the gun went off, Austin took off running down the road and Reggie shot at him three times, he said.

Wepsiec’s cross-examination consisted of a series of questions about Neal’s conversations with investigators the days following the murders.

You told the detectives you heard shots outside. Is that correct? Wepsiec asked.

Yes, sir, Neal said.

You said you saw flashes from the shots between the trailer and the shed, Wepsiec said.

I don’t recall, Neal said.

You told the detectives a lot of lies. Didn’t you? Wepsiec asked.

Yes, sir, Neal said.

Do you remember telling the police that Reggie Cavitt shot Austin Campbell? Wepsiec asked.

I don’t recall telling anyone anything about anyone shooting anybody, Neal responded.

You lie pretty well? Wepsiec asked.

If you say, sir. That’s not my profession, Neal responded.

Following the verdict, Neal’s mother, Luzzetta Neal, was visibly upset.

The jury spoke, but justice was not served, she said.

Luzzetta Neal later yelled at Wepsiec, calling him a liar.

Mrs. Neal is entitled to her opinion, but the only opinions that count are that of the jury, Wepsiec said.

Neal is being held at the Jackson County Jail in Murphysboro.