A Martinez jury has convicted Kendrick Woods of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the 2022 killing of Richmond resident Melvin Stewart, closing a grim chapter in a case that lingered for years. Stewart, 60, was found shot multiple times inside a vehicle on April 6, 2022, on the 500 block of South 12th Street in Richmond. Woods is scheduled to be sentenced in late March.
Prosecutors told jurors that Woods taunted Stewart before pulling the trigger, a detail that added a chilling layer to an already brutal crime. Investigators still have not identified a clear motive. Woods was arrested in Arkansas roughly two months after the slaying and argued at trial that police had the wrong man. Those details were reported by the East Bay Times.
Authorities found Stewart unresponsive inside his vehicle, and he was later pronounced dead at the scene, according to case records and contemporaneous summaries of the investigation. The shooting on the 500 block of South 12th Street was one of Richmond’s homicides in 2022 and remained under investigation for years before the case went to trial. Crime Solvers Central provides a summary of the scene and victim information.
Defense Said Mistaken Identity, Jury Disagreed
At trial, Woods’ defense team argued that he was misidentified and that investigators had zeroed in on the wrong suspect. Jurors were not convinced. They found the prosecution’s narrative more persuasive and returned guilty verdicts for first-degree murder and a firearm enhancement after hearing testimony and evidence tying Woods to the shooting, according to the East Bay Times. The motive remains officially undetermined as investigators continue to compile records for the upcoming sentencing…