HAHNVILLE — A St. Charles jury found 23-year-old Javon Wells guilty of second degree murder Thursday afternoon, according to the St. Charles Parish District Attorney’s Office.

The jury deliberated for less than two and a half hours before returning its verdict following a three-day trial, which was prosecuted by Connie M. Aucoin, the D.A.’s office said.

Wells was arrested May 4, 2016, following the shooting death of Destrehan High School student Kendall Williams Jr.

In May 2016, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office said deputies discovered Williams’ body at East Harding and 8th Street in New Sarpy at approximately 8:30 p.m. with a gunshot wound to the head.

Williams was discovered under a gazebo at a park less than a week before his high school graduation. He was pronounced dead on the scene. Within hours of the shooting, authorities said, officers obtained an arrest warrant for second degree murder for Javon D. Wells of New Sarpy.

The D.A.’s office said Williams’ mother provided “moving testimony” at the trial about her 18-year-old son and his love for cars and excitement about his upcoming high school graduation.

Wells faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the Louisiana Department of Corrections. He will be sentenced July 11 by Judge Emile R. St. Pierre.

“Kendall Williams Jr. was a bright light in his family and in our community,” District Attorney Joel T. Chaisson II said. “Instead of attending his graduation ceremony, Kendall’s family attended his funeral ceremony. Senseless acts of violence will not be tolerated in our community.

“I applaud those young men who stood in the face of adversity and testified about what they knew. They did the right thing. In addition to the stellar efforts of Assistant District Attorney Connie Aucoin and the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, community involvement is what allowed my office to secure this conviction and its importance cannot be overstated.”