A Kenner man faces a mandatory life sentence in prison for his conviction on Wednesday (April 12) of killing another man on a residential street.
Albert “Wayne” Cox, 38, was convicted as charged of second-degree murder for the Oct. 7, 2015, killing of Cornel Woods. Cox also was convicted as charged of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, for the .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol he used to shoot Woods.
Woods, 42, was shot once in the chest while he stood outside his mother’s home in the 900 block of 27th Street. Cox fired three bullets at Woods, hours after he threatened him in a dispute involving a woman.
Earlier on the day he was shot, Woods socialized with a friend in his pickup truck in their neighborhood when Cox approached them, striking up an argument and calling Woods “a bitch.” Cox then threatened to “pistol-whip” Woods later, the friend testified.
Later that evening, the friend was walking his dog on 27th Street when he noticed Cox walking up the street toward Woods’ home. The friend used his cell phone to call Woods to warn him. Moments later, the friend heard three gunshots and saw the muzzle flashes in front of Woods’ mother’s home.
Of the three bullets Cox fired, one struck a car tire, flattening it, and another one hit a truck. The third bullet struck Woods in the chest, killing him.
After the murder, Cox admitted to his cousin on the telephone that he shot woods. He confirmed the revelation to another cousin in a telephone conversation shortly afterwards. The cousins notified the Kenner Police Department, which obtained a warrant for Cox’s arrest.
Cox also spoke with a third cousin, admitting to her, too, that he shot someone and telling her he needed a place to stay. The U.S. Marshal’s Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force tracked Cox to Baton Rouge, where the officers arrested him outside the city’s bus station two days after he killed Woods.
Cox was barred from possessing firearms because of his criminal history. According to the bill of indictment, Cox’s relevant convictions were for distribution of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of cocaine, all of which occurred in Jefferson Parish.
The jury deliberated an hour in reaching its unanimous verdicts. Judge John Molaison of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Cox on Wednesday (April 19).
Assistant District Attorneys Rachel Africk and Douglas Rushton prosecuted the case.
