McCommons convicted in 2009 convenience store killing

PHOTOGRAPHER: Justin Mason

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Jurors convicted Wade McCommons Jr. in the shooting death of Laurel Teer after more than two days of deliberation.

McCommons was found guilty of second-degree murder today in Schenectady County Court. He was also found guilty of attempted robbery, unlawful imprisonment and burglary charges.

McCommons, 26, was on trial in the killing of Teer, 41. He’s also accused of being the gunman in an attempted armed robbery on Rugby Road nine days before she was murdered.

The case featured 11 days of testimony from 41 witnesses called by the prosecution. The defense rested after calling two witnesses Friday. McCommons did not testify in his own defense.

Surveillance video taken inside the Eastern Avenue Deli & Grocery on June 5, 2009 shows Laurel Teer standing at the counter for several seconds before a masked gunman enters from behind. After a brief struggle, the gun discharges, striking Teer fatally in the head.

Jurors determined McCommons to be the gunman, as asserted by the prosecution. They also decided McCommons was among a pair of men involved in the strong-arm home invasion on Rugby Road.

For more on the story, see Friday’s print and online editions of The Daily Gazette.