Man found guilty of gruesome Fairmont murder

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) — The man accused of beating a Michigan man to death with a bat in Fairmont has been found guilty on all charges and will not receive mercy during his sentencing.

After a three-day trial, a jury made up of eight women and four men found Naquan Warren guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, burglary, assault during the commission of a felony, and conspiracy.

The victim, Sean Gardiner from Detroit, Michigan, was found dead in a Fairmont home in October 2022 . Warren and Shekea Fox, who testified against Warren during the trial on Wednesday , were arrested the next week. Law enforcement said that the pair conspired to rob Gardiner of a large amount of cash that he had taken a photograph with just a few hours before he was killed. Fox’s testimony said that she saw Warren standing over the victim with a bat, although the weapon was never found.

During the third day of the trial on Thursday, Aug. 15, Warren’s lawyers made a motion to dismiss the case after closing arguments, but it was denied by Judge Patrick Wilson.

On Wednesday, Warren’s defense rested without calling any witnesses, relying on the fact that there was no DNA evidence against Warren and no murder weapon.

Jurors deliberated for about an hour and a half before reaching a guilty verdict.

After hearing statements from Warren, investigators and the victim’s family members, the jury deliberated for less than an hour and decided that Warren will not receive mercy during his sentencing, meaning he will not be eligible for parole and will spend the rest of his life in prison.

During the mercy phase of the trial, Warren offered condolences to the victim’s family, saying he did not murder Sean Gardiner. “I promise to God I didn’t,” he said.

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