Homewood man found guilty of murdering friend, dumping body in river

A Homewood man was found guilty Friday of killing his friend and dumping his body in a river.

Hubert Wingate, 31, was convicted of first-degree murder and numerous other charges for the 2014 slaying of Andre Gray.

Gray's body was found in the Ohio River near Wheeling, West Virginia, in March 2015. Gray went missing from his Lawrenceville home in October 2014.

At Wingate's preliminary hearing in 2015, a witness testified that Wingate pulled Gray’s body wrapped in sheets from a vehicle’s trunk, threw his body in the river, shot Gray, and stabbed his body 10 times because Gray's body wouldn’t sink.

Police believed that evidence including jailhouse conversations and data from Gray's PlayStation helped tie the pieces and evidence directly to Wingate.

During his ruling Friday, Judge Joseph Williams told Wingate, "You are a very narcissistic, self-centered person. I believe you did it."

Gray's family said justice has been served and they can end this painful chapter of their lives.

"This has been a long time coming," said the victim's mother, Victoria Gray. "My son is up there praising the Lord. God has my baby."

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