This afternoon, a 12-person jury found Jeffrey Bruner guilty for the first degree murder of former Missouri Southern assistant football coach Derek Moore, about a year and a half after the crime occurred.

An exact sentencing has not yet been announced.

According to initial Joplin Police Department reports, Dawn Bruner, Jeffrey Bruner’s estranged wife, and the 37-year-old Derek Moore were walking out of Regal Northstar 14 Theatre around 9:50 p.m. Nov. 1, when Jeffrey Bruner confronted Moore and shot him multiple times.

Police and emergency vehicles arrived at the scene minutes later to apprehend Jeffrey Bruner, who was arrested at 9:52, and take Moore to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Southern – Moore’s employer at the time of his death – released the following statement about the guilty verdict:

“The death of an employee, especially under such shocking and violent circumstances, is always a heavy loss. Derek was and will always remain a member of our Lion family. Our commitment to his son through the Elijah Moore Trust Fund – which has raised more than $8,000 thus far – is one of the ways we continue to honor his memory and thank his family for the impact he made on our student- athletes and campus.

While it can’t undo the past, a verdict helps provide a sense of closure and peace to our campus community.”