A man convicted of attempted capital murder for shooting Chancery Court Judge Charles Smith in 2020 was intending to shoot somebody else, District Attorney Kassie Coleman said Thursday.

Ernest Edwards was convicted June 15 in the Lafayette County Circuit Court and sentenced to life in prison for shooting Judge Smith in the back the morning of March 16, 2020 at the Lauderdale County Courthouse.

The trial was held in Lafayette County after a change of venue was granted due to initial media coverage as well as the Lauderdale County courthouse being the actual crime scene, court officials said.

Coleman said prosecutors believe Edwards was upset with Circuit Court Judge Charles Wright. Wright, who had worked as a civil and criminal defense lawyer prior to becoming a judge, had once defended Edwards in a drug case.

“The last case he went to jail on he was represented by Charles Wright,” she said. “It is our believe he was angry and disappointed, and he felt like he had paid a lot of money and his representation was inadequate.”

During the trial, Coleman said, Edwards testified he was upset at the Department of Corrections, however his claim was contradicted by statements he made to family and friends.

In the case that lead to the shooting, Edwards, a habitual offender, was facing life in prison for two drug charges. Wright negotiated a plea deal that would have sent Edwards to jail for eight years for one drug crime and five years for a pending manslaughter charge.

“While he may not have believed that was a good deal in comparison to his other case, I think it probably was a very good deal for him,” Coleman said. “But, it is our believe that, based on things he said to some friends and family members, that he was upset about the amount of time he ended up serving on those charges.”

Edwards had been released from prison in December 2019.

Coleman said she hoped the guilty verdict brought both Smith and Wright, their families and those working in the courthouse some closure for the shooting.

“I think overall, for the courthouse, having some closure, having that guilty verdict, knowing he’s been sentenced to life, I think is a reassurance for all of us that have to work here,” she said. “This is certainly an area where we want to feel safe, and we have to be here every day and don’t want to feel like sitting ducks, and so I think it was reassuring probably for everyone here in the courthouse.”