Springfield man convicted of murder in drive-by shooting

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A Springfield man has been convicted of murder in a drive-by shooting after his co-defendant admitted firing the fatal shot. A Lane County jury on Friday convicted 28-year-old Michael Wayne Wesley of murder in the Sept. 3, 2008, shooting of Springfield hairdresser Wendy Jo Whitaker. A co-defendant, 28-year-old Ronald Joshua Ronny Smith, pleaded guilty to the murder last month and testified against Wesley. Smith admitted firing the .45-caliber bullet that passed through Whitaker's car door and pierced her heart as she stopped to pick up her boyfriend, who was Smith's intended target. Prosecutors convinced the jury that Wesley participated as an aider and abettor in the murder. ___ Information from: The Register-Guard ©2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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