Guilty Verdict in Childress Trial

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — It took jurors a little over an hour to reach a guilty verdict in the Five Points shooting that left USC student Martha Childress paralyzed. Michael Juan Smith was found guilty of attempted murder and weapons charges. Investigators say he fired shots on a crowded street in Columbia’s Five Points area. One bullet struck Childress, who was a freshmen at the University of South Carolina at the time. Quoting testimony from inside the courtroom during a jail phone call to his girlfriend at the time, Smith gave her instructions of what to say on the stand. During testimony, Monday, Smith said that he was not aiming anywhere in particular when he shot adding that he fired after hearing a shot because he feared for his life.