Darius Holliday (Source: MCSO)
Darius Holliday
(Source: MCSO)

MARION COUNTY — Marion County jurors in the double shooting case against a 22-year-old Chicago man took less than 2 hours Thursday to return a guilty verdict on both counts just before 1:30 p.m.

Darius Holliday was found guilty of both Class X charges of aggravated battery for the June shootings of 52-year-old Juan Hayes, of Chicago, and 19-year-old Devale Johnson Jr., of Georgia, at Laura Leake Park in Centralia.

Both Johnson and Hayes were treated at St. Louis area hospitals for gunshot wounds to their legs and were ultimately released.

Sentencing for Holliday is scheduled for November 22 and is expected to take half-day. Each Class X felony is punishable by between 6 and 30 years in prison.

The jury in Holliday’s case was seated Wednesday and began hearing testimony Wednesday afternoon. They were handed the case for deliberation just before 11 a.m. Thursday.