Man convicted in slaying of man he thought was drug dealer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A Florida man has been convicted in the kidnapping and fatal shooting of a man he mistakenly thought was a drug dealer.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that 25-year-old Christian Cruz was found guilty Thursday of first-degree murder and felony murder. The same jurors who convicted him will return next week to recommend life in prison or the death penalty.

Authorities say Cruz and 30-year-old Justen Charles broke into a Deltona apartment in August 2013. They grabbed 25-year-old Christopher Jemery, threw him in the trunk of a car, took him to a wooded area in Sanford and shot him in the head.

Investigators say Cruz and Charles had been planning to rob a drug dealer who had previously lived in the apartment but moved out.

Charles is still awaiting trial.

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Information from: Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal, http://www.news-journalonline.com