A Hennepin County jury on Friday convicted a Minneapolis man of second-degree murder for fatally stabbing an acquaintance during a street fight in downtown Minneapolis.
The jury deliberated three days before finding Julius Wayne Willis Jr. guilty. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 28.
Willis, 20, and Tony Devon Mayo, 47, each were charged last July following the death of Lionel Franklin, 48.
According to charges, Franklin and a friend were walking on 1st Avenue N. near Target Center when they encountered Mayo and Willis. Franklin and the friend asked both of them about a fight they had been in earlier in the week. Mayo became angry, pulled out a can of Mace and sprayed Franklin and his friend, the complaint said. Once Franklin and his friend were disabled, Willis stabbed Franklin in the chest, according to the complaint.
Mayo has not yet stood trial.
ABBY SIMONS
