WASHINGTON — A D.C. man accused of killing his Shaw roommates — one discovered buried in the backyard and the other in an attic — was found guilty Tuesday of first-degree murder and related charges.
Prosecutors said that Jeffrey Neal, 25, killed both men, who were childhood friends, in June 2014 by bludgeoning them multiple times in the head with a hammer.
A jury returned the verdict in D.C. Superior Court.
The nearly naked bodies of Leon Young, 22, and Delano Wingfield, 23, were discovered at a home the three men shared in the 1800 block of 8th Street NW, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Young’s body was discovered about a week after he had been killed in the home’s attic. A trash bag had been tied around his head and wore no clothing. Wingfield’s body was found several days later in a shallow grave. He was wearing only a pair of socks, prosecutors said.
Neal told investigators that he killed Young in self-defense and blamed Young for killing Wingfield. However police found Wingfield’s blood in Neal’s bedroom and Neal misidentified which roommate was found wearing only socks.
He faces up to life in prison when he’s sentenced in October.
