In the summer of 2017, a domestic dispute in Birmingham, Alabama, escalated to a fatal shooting, leaving a 32-year-old man dead. Adrian Virshun Lockett was killed on July 5, 2017. The incident unfolded inside a home where Lockett was with his fiancée. The man identified as the suspect was Verneil Wilson, the 40-year-old ex-husband of Lockett's partner.
Authorities reported that Wilson unlawfully entered the residence and shot Lockett multiple times.
Following the shooting, Wilson drove himself to the police headquarters and surrendered to authorities. He was initially charged with murder in the death of Adrian Lockett. Wilson was also charged with domestic violence for allegedly striking his ex-wife with a pistol during the incident.
The legal proceedings against Wilson took a significant turn when a Jefferson County grand jury indicted him on a charge of capital murder, an offense carrying a potential sentence of life in prison without parole or the death penalty. Investigators believed the killing was a calculated act. Despite the severity of the charge, the trial concluded with an unexpected outcome. Verneil Wilson was ultimately acquitted of the murder of Adrian Lockett.
In a further twist to the case, Wilson's ex-wife, Sulena Beasley, found herself in legal trouble following the trial. In November 2019, Beasley was arrested and charged with perjury. Authorities accused her of providing false testimony during Wilson's murder trial, a development that added another layer of complexity to the tragic death of Adrian Lockett. Wilson was later charged in connection to a 2022 double homicide.
