Ronald Langford wrapped his arm around his client as the jury filed out of the room after announcing Sam Sando was acquitted of first-degree murder and four other charges.

The 26-year-old was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of first-degree robbery in the January 2022 shooting death of 24-year-old Trishay Marsean Thompson.

Thompson died a few weeks after he was shot in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 1400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue during a botched drug deal.

The verdict was announced Wednesday after a trial that started with jury selection May 1. Sando's lawyers Langford and Shannon Archer argued in court the evidence could not point to their client as the shooter and instead said they believe his co-defendant and cousin, Salifou Sahr, pulled the trigger.

Sahr, 23, also was charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection to the incident. His trial is set to begin June 26.

"In no way am I saying that Trishay Thompson and his family do not deserve justice. They do. He does," Archer said in closing arguments Tuesday. "But justice in this case is not convicting Sam Sando of something he didn't do, based on the amount of reasonable doubt, on the lack of evidence, on the rush to judgment by the Des Moines Police Department and the state of Iowa and based on the evidence that is available to us."

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Opening arguments: Defense says scene too contaminated

The incident on Jan. 9, 2022, began with what prosecutors have said is a botched drug deal gone wrong. In opening arguments last week, Polk County attorneys Steven Danielson and Darsean Crisp said Sando and Sahr were planning to rob Thompson and another person, Andrew Meyer, once they arrived to the apartment for a planned drug deal.

Meanwhile, Meyer had recruited Thompson to pretend they possessed marijuana and trick Sahr and Sando into purchasing a fake product, according to the state.

The state argued when Meyer and Thompson canceled the transaction, Sando and Sahr ambushed them. After he was shot, Thompson attempted to drive away but the car was stuck. He died several weeks later.

Meyer was not injured and testified for the state during trial.

According to the state, there was no evidence either party had knowledge of the other's plans.

In opening statements, however, Sando's lawyers argued the evidence can't be trusted because the very large scene was likely contaminated when people rushed in and out of the apartment building and through the scene. Bullets were found in the parking lot, but the defense said they could have been moved by people running.

Police also removed from the scene the vehicle Thompson was driving and later auctioned it off, which the defense said prevented Sando from having it examined by an expert to help his case.

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Closing arguments: Testimony points to only one shooter, one gun

County attorney Danielson said in closing arguments Tuesday that Sando played a large part in the victim's death because he corresponded with Meyer about the drug deal for several days prior to the shooting.

Sando then tried to convince Meyer to come up to his apartment to make the purchase since he was taking care of his baby — something that was untrue.

"This is a ruse to convince Andrew Meyer to let his guard down," Danielson said.

As Sando continued to stall, the state said texts from Meyer showed he was getting nervous and threatening to leave. That is when, according to the state, the defendant and his cousin shot at the vehicle.

Though Thompson and Meyer intended to sell fake marijuana, that doesn't justify the victim's death, Danielson said.

"Two wrongs don't make a right," he said.

But Sando's lawyer Archer said he wasn't the shooter, and there's no evidence to indicate he had a gun on him that night. She instead pointed the finger at Meyer and Sahr, saying the two shot at each other. Witnesses testified to seeing one shooter who was about 6 feet 3 inches tall standing in front of the black Nissan.

"No one ever testifies about seeing two shooters or two guns," Archer said.

Archer said bullet projectile evidence showed the gun was shot from the front of the car and that Meyer shot back from outside the passenger seat door. Given Meyer's previous history, Archer criticized the state for not scrutinizing his story further.

"They set their sights on Sam Sando and built their case after the fact, and no matter how many times then (officer) Carter says Sam Sando had a gun, he didn't have a gun," she said. "There's no evidence that he had a gun."

Noelle Alviz-Gransee is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Follow her on Twitter @NoelleHannika or email her at NAlvizGransee@registermedia.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Sam Sando found not guilty in 2022 homicide of Trishay Thompson