TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A jury found a Tallahassee man guilty of attempted second-degree murder for shooting his apartment complex manager in 2022, according to court documents.
Ernest Lawson faces a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison, according to the state attorney’s office.
According to law enforcement, around the time of the shooting, Lawson was “under financial strain and was displeased with the victim, who was his apartment complex manager.”
Court documents reveal Lawson expressed numerous complaints during his two years living at Blue Cascade Apartments, and said he felt his grievances were not addressed properly by the manager.
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Documents say Lawson bought a gun, and a week later, “waited five hours for the victim to arrive at work at the complex.”
After she pulled up at about 12:20 p.m., Lawson drove up behind her car and shot her once in the abdomen after she exited her vehicle. Court documents say Lawson did not try to render aid or call 911, and instead drove off to a pizza restaurant where he worked as a delivery driver.
Law enforcement eventually tracked Lawson down to his workplace, where he was arrested after returning from making a pizza delivery.
The jury rejected his claim that he had purchased the gun just to scare the victim and that the shooting was an accident, the state attorney says.
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