Memphis, Tenn. — A Shelby County jury convicted Edward Wurl of first-degree murder and of being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun in the 2024 killing of Memphis musician Blake Rhea, the Shelby County district attorney’s office said.
The jury deliberated for only about eight minutes before returning the verdict. Rhea was shot and killed on Nov. 6, 2024, outside Louis Connelly’s bar on South Cleveland Street in Midtown. Officers from the Memphis Police Department found Rhea in a parked car with gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Prosecutors presented surveillance video that showed Wurl following Rhea to his vehicle while holding an object that appeared to be a knife behind his back, then a struggle at the open driver’s door and bright flashes consistent with gunfire. Digital evidence from Wurl’s phone included a search days earlier asking whether a gun unused for years would still work, and repeated visits to Rhea’s social media in the months before the shooting.
Rhea was a member of the Grammy-nominated band Southern Avenue and taught music locally.
Wurl took the stand in his own defense before the jury returned its verdict. He is set to be sentenced on Nov. 13. The conviction closes a case that began with a fatal Midtown shooting and ended with a first-degree murder finding after a short deliberation.
Tips on related cases can still go to the Memphis Police Department or CrimeStoppers. The verdict ends the guilt phase of a prosecution that drew wide attention across Memphis music circles after the 2024 Midtown killing.
