A jury acquitted a man of gunning down an aspiring teacher from Minnesota for his iPod on a Philadelphia street.
A jury deliberated for a few hours before it found Marcellus Jones not guilty of all charges Wednesday, including murder and conspiracy to commit robbery in the death of 23-year-old Beau Zabel.
The not guilty verdict left the courtroom stunned as Jones shouted, "thank you" and Zabel's family burst into tears.
The verdict left Zabel's father without closure.
"I'm upset but ultimately there's another judge and (Jones) will have to play the price then," said Terry Zabel.
Earlier, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Jones took the stand Tuesday during his trial. The 37-year-old is already serving life for killing a witness in the case.
Jones was charged with the June 2008 murder of 23-year-old Zabel.
Zabel moved from Austin, Minnesota, to Philadelphia to start work in the public schools a few weeks before he was killed during street robbery in June 2008. Zabel had been walking home after finishing a shift at a local Starbucks store.
The jury said it didn't find witnesses in the case credible.
Jones said he was forced to testify Tuesday and wasn't willing to answer the prosecutor's questions. The judge told him to comply. On Monday, Jones repeatedly interrupted proceedings.
The murder verdict would have meant a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole for Jones.
