Two Anchorage men found guilty in murder of 15-year-old Precious Alex

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Jamal Townsend takes notes during closing arguments at his jury trial Thursday, October 5, 2017. Townsend and Lammar Burney, at right, are charged in the April 1, 2014 shooting death of 15-year-old Precious Alex. Around 3 a.m. that morning, Anchorage police stopped a Jeep that Townsend and Burney were riding in. Police found a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun, charging documents said; .40 shell casings were found at the scene. (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News)

Two Anchorage men were convicted on Friday of the murder of 15-year-old Precious Alex, who was fatally shot in 2014 while sleeping in her Mountain View home.

Jamal Townsend, 28, and Lammar Burney, 32, were found guilty of murder in the first- and second-degrees, weapons misconduct, and second-degree assault.

Alex was killed on April 1, 2014, after six bullets pierced her bedroom window in the middle of the night. She was hit twice, once in the leg and once in the abdomen, and later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Witnesses said during the trial that, before the deadly shooting, Townsend had gotten into a fight with the family at their apartment. He believed he had been ripped off in a marijuana deal.

[Photos: Emotions run high as jury begins deliberations in Precious Alex trial]

He later returned, firing seven shots at the apartment as the residents stood outside. On Friday, Townsend was convicted of an additional charge of weapons misconduct for the incident.

The night of Alex's death, Burney and Townsend had left a party and circled Alex's apartment building multiple times. According to Karlie West, who was driving the car that night, Burney then told her to stop and got out of the car. Alex was killed soon after.

Police stopped West as they drove away and found a .40 caliber pistol underneath a car seat. At the scene of the crime, .40 shell casings were found on the ground.

West was charged with manslaughter and sentenced earlier in 2017. She was a witness and informant in the case.

[Church overflows with emotion during service for slain 15-year-old Precious Alex]

During closing arguments on Thursday, both men's attorneys argued that their clients were not primarily responsible for Alex's death, in an attempt to avoid the first- and second-degree murder charges. The state prosecutor argued that both men were equally culpable.

The jury sided with the prosecutor, convicting both men of all charges mid-day Friday.

The first-degree murder charge carries a minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum of 99 years.

The men are scheduled to be sentenced on March 21, 2018.