WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A Forsyth County man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in a 2023 shooting.

On Thursday, a Forsyth County jury convicted William Darius Aikens Jr. of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felon after just one hour of deliberations, District Attorney Jim O’Neill announced. Resident Superior Court Judge Aaron Berlin sentenced Aikens to life in prison without parole for the murder of Brandon Deon Patterson.

Investigators said Aikens fatally shot Patterson around 4 p.m. on Oct. 18, 2023, in the 800 block of North Cameron Avenue. Evidence presented at trial showed Aikens drove past Patterson several times before pulling over and firing 10 shots, five of which struck Patterson. Police sai

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