On November 21st, a Grand Forks jury convicted Kindi Jalloh of murder and tampering with evidence after three hours and 45 minutes of deliberation. The 12-person jury delivered the verdict around 2:30 p.m. following jury instructions and closing arguments.
Jalloh’s sentencing is set for January 8th at 10:30 a.m., with a pre-sentence investigation in progress and victim impact statements to be collected beforehand.
Representing the state, Carmell Mattison argued that Jalloh chose the fate of Douglas Elgert, who was killed on the evening of May 23 or in the early morning of May 24. The state painted a grim picture of how Jalloh allegedly stabbed Elgert, disconnected his landline telephone, and waited for him to die, eventually striking him in the head with a vodka bottle, causing a fatal injury.
The state believes Jalloh meticulously disposed of evidence and made several incriminating statements during the trial, including inconsistent explanations for his actions and allegedly attempting to cover his tracks before contacting law enforcement.
Though Jalloh’s defense lawyer, Steven Mottinger, acknowledged that there is evidence pointing to his client, he argued that it’s not enough to definitively prove Jalloh’s guilt. Mottinger appealed to the jury to recognize that there are reasonable doubts about Jalloh’s involvement in Elgert’s death and emphasized that being guilty of tampering with evidence does not equate to being a murderer.
