MURDER RE-TRIAL LEADS TO LIFE PRISON SENTENCE FOR SPARTANBURG NATIVE

A Spartanburg native was sentenced to life in prison today after he was convicted of killing a man and injuring two others in a drive-by shooting that occurred in 1995.

The jury deliberated for three hours before finding Stanley Wise, 43, guilty of murder, two counts of assault and battery with intent to kill and three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Wise shot and killed James Russell Jones, 35, during a shooting that occurred May 13, 1995 outside of a liquor house on McGee Street in the Arkwright community.

Wise was a front seat passenger in a car that drove past the house about 4:30 a.m. He brandished a 9mm handgun and fired several shots across the roof of the car as the vehicle rolled past the house. Jones died as a result of a gunshot wound to his head. Two bystanders were shot in the leg and foot. Neither injury was considered life-threatening.

Assistant Solicitor Bob Coler told the jury that a dispute over a drug deal made Jones the intended target.

“A drive-by shooting is one of the most cowardly criminal acts,” Coler said. “The shooter crouches in the safety of a moving car and fires into a crowd of unsuspecting and defenseless people.”

Wise was first found guilty of the crime in April 1996 but the case was overturned during the appeals process.