The jury has delivered its verdict in the murder trial involving the brutal killing of a Wendy’s employee.
Philadelphia resident Dominique Isaac Harris, 31, has been found guilty of first-degree murder and possession of an instrument of crime in connection with the vicious slaying of his former Wendy’s co-worker, Michael Pickens.
During the four-day trial, Chief Deputy District Attorney Kristin McElroy presented evidence that Harris had been fired from Wendy’s two months earlier after a conflict with Pickens.
DA McElroy described how Harris ambushed Pickens outside the restaurant as he finished his shift and was taking out the trash. Harris stabbed Pickens 46 times, with over half of the wounds inflicted on the head and neck area. Although Pickens tried to defend himself, he eventually succumbed to his injuries.
Harris left the scene after attacking Pickens but later returned in his car, running over Pickens twice in the parking lot. He then put Pickens’ body in the backseat of his car and dumped it a few miles away.
Security footage showed Harris chasing Pickens and repeatedly stabbing him with a knife in the parking lot, which led to Harris’ arrest within a day of the incident.
Detectives discovered that Harris owned the same make and model of the car used in the attack. Philadelphia police later stopped the vehicle and noticed blood on the exterior and a significant amount of blood in the backseat. Although the victim’s body was not found at that time, Harris was taken into custody that night. The following morning, Bensalem police found Pickens’ body near a train station, covered by a jacket Harris had worn during the assault.
The prosecution argued that Harris’s actions indicated a premeditated and intentional plan to kill Pickens, as he had meticulously organized and carried out a vicious, targeted attack.
After about two hours of deliberation, the Bucks County jury convicted Harris. Sentencing is scheduled for a later date.