Background: Louis Connelly's Bar on South Cleveland Street in Memphis, Tennessee (Google Maps). Inset left: Edward Wurl (Shelby County Sheriff's Office). Inset right: Blake Rhea (Canale Funeral Directors).
A man repeatedly visited the Facebook page of a musician for months before following him across the street from a Tennessee bar and fatally shooting him.
Edward "Eddie" Wurl, 53, was found guilty by a Shelby County jury of first-degree murder in the death of 48-year-old Blake Rhea, as well as being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun, the Shelby County District Attorney's Office announced.
Jurors deliberated for just eight minutes, according to the DA's office, before returning guilty verdicts on both counts.
On Nov. 6, 2024, Wurl and Rhea were in the area of Louis Connelly's Bar on South Cleveland Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Rhea was a musician in the area, "held in the highest esteem by his fellow musicians and bassists in Memphis and far beyond," according to his obituary.
Wurl had been pursuing Rhea for months beforehand, according to prosecutors, with Facebook records showing "repeated visits to Rhea's profile in the months leading up to the killing," the DA's office said. A week before the killing, an internet search was made on Wurl's phone asking, "If I haven't fired my gun in years will it work?"
On the night in question, surveillance footage outside the bar reportedly captured Wurl "following Rhea across the street to his vehicle while holding an object consistent with a knife behind his back." The defendant then "leaned into the open driver's door and appeared to struggle" with Rhea.
Wurl backed away and then raised his right hand toward the victim, "and the footage showed several flashes consistent with gunfire," the DA's office added. "Wurl then walked away."
The Memphis Police Department was called to the area just after 1 a.m. Officers found Rhea in his parked vehicle "suffering from gunshot wounds and lacerations." He was pronounced dead.
During the trial, Wurl took the stand and was cross-examined by prosecutors. It is unclear whether the two men had a relationship and, if so, what that relationship was.
Rhea's obituary says that the victim's "contagious smile, inescapable laugh, kindness, and countless talents will be deeply missed by everyone fortunate enough to share space and time with him. He leaves us all an example of how to live and a beautiful legacy cast in his most important roles as a musician, teacher, coach, son, brother, and friend."
Wurl is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 13.