An Arkansas man was convicted of first-degree murder Friday in a 2014 shooting that killed a woman and injured her toddler daughter, the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record reported.
A Garland County Circuit Court jury deliberated for about four hours before finding Steven Leroy Swanigan, 33, of Hot Springs guilty of first-degree murder as well as two counts of first-degree battery, the newspaper reported.
The shooting at Springwood Townhomes at 200 Springwood Road on April 30, 2014, killed Mayela Mata, 26, according to the Sentinel-Record. Mata's 20-month-old daughter was reportedly shot in the side, and her friend Antouin Bond was shot in the back.
A suspected accomplice, Benjamin Mickey Pitts, 28, of Hot Springs, is scheduled to stand trial on the same charges Oct. 23, but prosecutors indicated in the trial they believe Swanigan was the shooter, the newspaper reported.
Court documents show Swanigan was sentenced to 40 years in the death and 10 years each on the battery counts. All terms are to be served consecutively, for a total of 60 years.
