A Jefferson County Jury deliberated just over two hours before finding a 31-year-old Woodlawn man guilty of three counts of murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and being an armed habitual criminal.
Jaquez Gardner faced the charges in connection with the shooting death of 34-year-old Jamarco Foulks on the Corner Tavern parking lot at 19th and Perkins in Mt. Vernon in July 2021. Foulks reportedly had multiple gunshot wounds to his torso and died shortly after arriving at a hospital for treatment.
After Gardner had been developed as a suspect, he was arrested the following week on the outstanding Jefferson County murder warrant while at a motel in O’Fallon.
The four-day jury trial ended when the jury returned the verdict at 6:50 Thursday night.
Gardner faces 20 years in prison to natural life when sentenced on January 26th.
Gardner will now be returned to Illinois Department of Corrections custody to continue serving a 16-year prison term connected to a 2012 armed violence conviction. He was on parole at the time the Foulks’ shooting occurred.
