A McMinnville man who was found guilty two months ago for shooting a man outside his home was ordered to serve 20 years in jail during sentencing on Wednesday.

Lorenzo Romell Brown, 34, was ordered by Judge Bart Stanley to serve a combined 20 years on charges of attempted voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Brown received the most time, 12 years, for the firearm charge.

Brown was found guilty during a three-day jury trial of shooting Jesse Dewayne Palmer in May 2019.

Throughout the trial, the prosecution and defense agreed on one crucial point. Lorenzo Brown did shoot Jesse Palmer on Memorial Day of 2019. Palmer was hospitalized for seven days due to his injuries and lost his spleen, assistant district attorney Felicia Walkup told the jury.

Beyond that issue, there was much dispute.

The seven-woman, five-man jury had to weigh a mountain of conflicting testimony, much of which revolved around whether Brown was justified in shooting Palmer in self-defense. 

Defense attorney Daniel Barnes said Brown was in the middle of cooking dinner at his home at 114 West Muncey Street when Palmer approached the residence around 10 p.m. The defense contended Palmer was the one who was acting aggressively and was extremely intoxicated when he initiated the confrontation that led to him being shot in the yard as Brown allegedly stood in the doorway of his home.

The prosecution, however, maintained Brown had a grudge against Palmer because he had supposedly snitched on him. Two witnesses testified that Brown believed Palmer was a snitch and one witness said Brown made a statement in the days before the incident that he would “have to shoot” Palmer.

Immediately following the shooting, Brown tossed his cellphone in the yard and fled the scene. Brown was arrested six days later in Shelbyville after changing his appearance. Brown declined to take the stand in his own behalf.