A federal jury in New Orleans delivered split verdicts Thursday in the trial of two men accused of killing a federal witness, WWL-TV reports.
Sean Alfortish and Leon "Chunky" Parker were standing trial for the murder of Cornelius Garrison.
Garrison was a government witness in the fraud case against a pair of New Orleans attorneys accused of orchestrating a scheme to force large settlements out of trucking companies for highway crashes that were caused by drivers hired by the lawyers.
In September 2025, Garrison was shot and killed. Prosecutors said it was done to keep him quiet.
Jurors convicted Alfortish on charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, two counts obstruction of justice, and witness tampering, but found him not guilty on a charge of subornation of perjury and another obstruction count, and had no finding on charges of witness tampering through murder.
The jurors could not reach a decision on the charges against Parker, whom prosecutors say was the hit man who killed Garrison.
The federal government is seeking a new trial for Alfortish and Parker on the charges that the jury could not reach a decision on.
