Former Wisconsin wideout Marcus Randle El convicted on two counts of first-degree homicide

Marcus Randle El, a former Wisconsin wide receiver and the younger brother of former NFL player Antwaan Randle El, was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder in a Janesville, Wisconsin, courtroom on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. Marcus Randle El was charged in the shooting deaths of two women — Brittany McAdory and Seairaha Winchester — that happened in February 2020.

After deliberating for approximately two hours, the jury found Marcus Randle El guilty on the pair of murder charges. They also found him guilty on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and another count, for operating a vehicle without consent while possessing a weapon.

A first-degree murder conviction in Wisconsin is punishable by up to 60 years or life in prison, depending on the nature of the crime.

Older brother Antwaan was reportedly in court, with The AP reporting he “wore a pained look on his face as the Rock County jury returned the verdict.” Antwaan played more than a decade in the NFL, primarily for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s now the wide receivers coach for the Detroit Lions.

Prosecutors argued to the jury that Marcus Randle El had killed Winchester after suspecting that she was informing police about his drug dealing and subsequently killed McAdory so there were no witnesses.

There was no murder weapon found, but text messages and surveillance footage link him to the killings, according to law enforcement.

Defense attorneys for Marcus Randle El argued that the prosecution had not met the burden of proof for a murder conviction, given there was no murder weapon or DNA evidence.

Marcus Randle El played wide receiver at Wisconsin from 2004-07.

He is scheduled for sentencing on May 3. The trial was originally supposed to take place years ago, but the Covid 19 pandemic led to a number of delays in the trial process.