Prosecutors fail to convince jury Des Moines man was the only possible suspect in slaying

There were lots of reasons to believe Tyrone Cameron might have been upset with Jeffrey Gillom on April 8, and to believe he was in the vicinity when 59-year-old Gillom was shot to death.

But the 12 members of the jury in the Des Moines man's first-degree murder trial weren't convinced those made him the killer.

Cameron, 29, was acquitted on all charges Friday after the weeklong trial in which prosecutors argued he killed Gillom to avenge his "bruised ego" after Gillom had slapped him earlier the same evening.

Gillom was fatally injured by a spray of 15 bullets fired through the closed door of the apartment in which he was staying. Two shots also struck 46-year-old Jennifer White as she stood nearby.

Although it's relatively uncommon for a murder suspect to be found not guilty at trial, Cameron is at least the third to recently be acquitted in Polk County. Jackson Calaway and Calvonta Stallings were both tried for the murder of Rashid Ibrahim and were acquitted in July and December 2021, respectively. Three other suspects in that case ultimately pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

Previously: Des Moines murder trial opens with claims man shot up apartment because of 'bruised ego'

Prosecutors: 'Every single piece of information points to him as the shooter'

Prosecutors showed the earlier dispute between Cameron and Gillom, which was captured on video. They also presented testimony from Cameron's girlfriend, who said Cameron told her "I'm going to kill him" and had her check the surrounding area to ensure no police were present just moments before Gillom was shot.

Police further obtained surveillance video that appeared to show Cameron entering and leaving the building at Hickman Flats apartments, 2400 Hickman Road, where Gillom was shot, and used cell phone data to confirm someone carrying his phone had approached the property from nearby woods and rapidly left after the shooting.

And they pointed to Cameron's attempts to flee from police when they caught up to him five days later, and what they said were his evasive and contradictory statements in interviews with detectives.

"Everything he said was to misdirect police in this investigation. That’s consciousness of guilt," prosecutor Jaki Livingston said in her final statement to jurors. "... Every single piece of information points to him as the shooter."

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Defense: The timing didn't work in the state's theory

Cameron's attorneys, from the Flanagan Law Group in Des Moines, argued the timing involved in the state's theory didn't add up. Andrea Flanagan told jurors Cameron would have had to leave the property, obtain a semiautomatic rifle and a getaway car, change clothes, conceal the car, and return in just 32 minutes.

Then, according to exterior surveillance videos — in which no gun is visible — he would have had to enter one side of the building, go downstairs, spray gunfire into the apartment, cross the building and exit on the other side, all in a span of 17 seconds.

Instead, the defense showed jurors surveillance videos of another man, identified only by the street name "Casino," who spent the evening walking around the apartment complex and also entering the building shortly before the shooting, wearing a backpack.

To explain her client's movements, Flanagan suggested that Cameron had entered the building, seen Casino with a gun, and hastily left by another exit.

She told jurors police saw video of the earlier fight between Cameron and Gillom and built their theory around that, ignoring as they did the possibility that Casino was responsible.

"There is an obvious suspect who leaves that building 30 seconds before 911 is called, with one of the witnesses they did talk to, and yet, nobody talked to Casino," she said in her closing argument.

Cameron did not testify in the trial.

From July: Third man charged with murder in fatal Des Moines shooting

Jury deliberated Thursday afternoon, Friday morning

In an emailed statement, Polk County Attorney John Sarcone said his office "respectfully disagree(s)" with the jury's decision but accepts its judgment.

"Our attorneys are disappointed with the result because we believe there was sufficient evidence for the jury to determine that the defendant was guilty of the crimes charged," Sarcone said. "Our responsibility was to present the evidence to the jury and the jury made its decision."

Jessica Millage, another of Cameron's attorneys, said in an email his team was pleased with the result.

"We appreciate the jurors who had a difficult job in this trial, and they reached the right result on all five counts," she said. "Hopefully, the alternative suspects revealed through Mr. Cameron's trial are thoroughly investigated and justice will eventually be served for Mr. Gillom's loved ones."

But prosecutor Michael Salvner, who presented the case alongside Livingston, said the state does not intend to seek a new suspect.

"Law enforcement was able to eliminate all other suspects in this shooting, including the individual and/or individuals the defense attorney attempted to blame for this murder," he said in an email. "We maintain that all the reliable evidence indicates Mr. Cameron was the correct individual to be charged and prosecuted."

The case was submitted to the jury after 2 p.m. Thursday. The jury, seven women and five men, deliberated for the rest of the afternoon and resumed at 8 a.m. Friday before announcing they had reached a verdict about an hour later.

In addition to charges of first-degree murder in Gillom's death, Cameron was charged with White's attempted murder; willful injury causing serious injury; intimidation with a dangerous weapon; going armed with intent, and several firearm charges. With Friday's verdict, all the charges were dismissed.

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Tyrone Cameron acquitted of murder in April shooting of Jeffrey Gillom