Saturday afternoon in Eighth Judicial District Court a Hopkins County Jury found Aaron Tyler Crum guilty of the first-degree murder of Joshua Paul Cowling. Deliberation took approximately one hour to reach the verdict. The jury was picked Monday, November 5, 2018, and began hearing testimony Tuesday morning. The trial continued each day with a 10 a.m. start Friday morning and again, Saturday morning.
District Attorney Will Ramsay rested his case Thursday morning after presenting two full days of testimony from witnesses and presenting as much as 200 pieces of evidence related to the shooting death of Cowling. Defense attorney Martin Braddy called several people who attended the after-hours party at Crum’s home on Pampa Street in February of this year. Braddy also called two SSPD investigators, the long-time girlfriend of Cowling, and a private investigator employed to assist in defending Crum. The 26-year-old Crum also testified in his own behalf. With the first-degree murder charge, Crum could face a sentence of from five to 99 years or life in prison. The court will reconvene Monday at 8:30 a.m. to begin the punishment phase of the trial.
