Man Is Found Guilty of Murder in Shooting Outside Nightclub
SANTA ANA — A San Pedro man was convicted of first-degree murder Thursday in the 1991 shooting of a man outside a local nightclub.
A Superior Court jury deliberated for about five hours before convicting James Jordan McClain, 24, of murdering Willie Curtis Ford, 26, a prosecutor said.
The shooting occurred in the parking lot of Mr. J’s in Santa Ana, after Ford came to the aid of a woman whom McClain was annoying with profane language.
After speaking briefly with Ford, McClain fired seven rounds from a 9-millimeter pistol at him, striking him four times.
Ford, a construction worker from Bellflower, died later at a nearby hospital, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Carolyn Kirkwood.
“We’re very pleased with the verdict,” said Paul D. Ford, the victim’s brother. “I have a lot of faith in the justice system, and we’ve been kind of praying that this kind of verdict would come.”
James P. Spellman, McClain’s attorney, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
McClain faces a possible sentence of 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 25, Kirkwood said.
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