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Kahlill Saleem Brown, 34, was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and related counts following about three hours of jury deliberations on Wednesday, July 12, according to the District Attorney's Office.
During the three-day trial, jurors heard evidence that Brown shot and killed 52-year-old Christopher M. Wilson at the Middletown recycling center where he worked on Dec. 10, 2020.
According to investigators, Wilson and Brown's mother Joyce Brown-Rodriguez "had been romantically involved since 2018." When Wilson broke off the relationship, Brown-Rodriguez "repeatedly called and texted Wilson," going as far as to show up at his work the day before the shooting, Dec. 9, the DA said.
Brown-Rodriguez testified that she texted her son from the parking lot that day to ask for his help.
The next day, Brown-Rodriguez drove her son to the Middletown recycling facility and parked in a corner in the lot, authorities said. When Wilson arrived and got out of his truck, Brown "approached (him) on foot and shot him several times, continuing to shoot when the victim fell to the ground," according to prosecutors.
“What the (expletive) did you just do? I thought you were going to talk to him," Brown-Rodiguez asked her son on the drive back to Philadelphia, per her own testimony.
“I didn’t feel like talking," her son reportedly said.
A grand jury presentment previously said that Wilson, a father of nine, had threatened to tell Brown-Rodrgiuez's estranged husband about their relationship before he was killed.
Brown-Rodrguez, 56, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, conspiracy, and related counts in December, the DA's Office said. Her sentencing is scheduled for next month.
After his conviction Wednesday, Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley deferred Brown's sentencing for 60 days.
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