Victor Thompson is escorted from the courtroom after Judge Wharton read the verdict finding Thompson guilty of felony murder with the underlying intent of burglary in the first degree. The jury will meet again Friday at 9:45 a.m. to determine if Thompson should get a life sentence with or without the possibility of parole. (Photo by Maria Rutherford)

PARKERSBURG — Victor Lee Thompson was found guilty of felony murder with the underlying intent of burglary Thursday in Wood County Circuit Court.

The jury spent the afternoon deliberating after closing arguments were given after 1:15 p.m. in the court of Wood County Circuit Judge Jason Wharton.

Thompson, 44, of Parkersburg went on trial this week in the shooting death of Darren Jimmie Salaam, 36, Akron, on May 30, 2021, at a 17th Avenue residence in Parkersburg.

The jury returned with a verdict around 4:30 p.m. As the verdict was read, members of Salaam’s family who were in court all week emotionally reacted to the verdict.

Jurors will convene at 9:45 a.m. today to determine if Thompson should get a sentence of life with or without the possibility of parole. Members of Salaam’s family said they would have more to say after that is determined.

Members of the prosecution and defense look over evidence before jurors began deliberation Thursday afternoon in the murder trial of Victor Thompson. (Photo by Maria Rutherford)

The prosecution rested its case Wednesday and Thompson was the defense’s only witness.

In his closing arguments, Prosecutor Pat Lefebure said Thompson was able to weigh the situation before he fired the gun with enough time to react in a manner which did not have to result in taking a life.

Thompson had no regard for Salaam’s life, Lefebure said making note of the hate speech Thompson had engaged in with law enforcement officers when he was first taken into custody and how that tied into a premeditated action due to the victim’s race.

Throughout the trial Salaam was described as a drug supplier for everyone in the house on 17th Ave.

Lafabure said Thompson was considered such a close friend of Josh and Tiffany McCune, he would regularly be in and out of the residence and was trusted to know the keypad entry to their home, and even watch their household while Tiffany and Josh were away. It seemed odd for Thompson to not be aware of the fact that Darren Salaam was in the house, he added.

Lefebure wanted the jurors to think about the defendant’s reaction after he had pulled the trigger, immediately fleeing the scene, evading law enforcement for days and not attempting to make contact with law-enforcement, something he should have done if he felt this was an act of self- defense and not a murder.

Thompson knew he would be held accountable if caught and charged with murder, the prosecutor said.

Being a man on the run, such as Thompson was, he knew the only thing he feared was suffering the consequences, once in custody, Lefebure said.

In his closing arguments, defense attorney J. Morgan Leach told the story of a man who only fired the gun because he thought that he was going to be killed by Salaam.

The only reason the defendant fled the scene, was because he knew that he would be held in custody and needed to detox from the drugs that were currently in his system at the time.

Leach argued even a key witness to the trial gave testimony that showed flaws in the other witnesses accounts and that their words could not be held as truth. He also said the crime scenes had been compromised from the people going through there.

The defense claimed the gun used in the shooting was already in the house, but the gun was never found. An alleged second gun to have been carried by Salaam also was never found. Salaam confronted Thompson with a curtain rod, according to testimony during the trial.

In a separate hearing held Thursday morning, Vincent Cross, 31, Parkersburg, had his trial set.

Cross, who was originally a co-defendant in the case, had been charged with accessory after the fact to murder. Before Thompson’s trial began, Wharton granted a motion to separate his case.

Testimony during the trial identified Cross as the individual who drove the truck Thompson fled in from the scene of the shooting. The black truck was later spray painted white to conceal it. It was recovered by the Wood County Sheriff’s Department and processed. Thompson testified he thought he might have left the gun in the truck or threw it out of the window. No weapon was found inside.

Cross is scheduled to go to trial on Nov. 15. A status hearing is set before Wharton 9 a.m. Nov. 7.

Brett Dunlap and Maria Rutherford can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com and mrutherford@newsandsentinel.com