CEDAR RAPIDS - Jurors on Thursday found a Marshalltown man guilty of second-degree murder, meaning Luis Guzman Perez, 22, faces up to 50 years in prison.

Perez shot and killed Joshua Wohlman, 19, of Garwin, and authorities charged him with first-degree murder. The fatal incident played out at a party Oct. 15, 2006, in rural Tama County.

Jurors accepted the case at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. They came back with a verdict at about 10:45 a.m. Thursday.

Prosecutors argued Perez was guilty of first-degree murder. They said he was angry at Wohlman after the pair were entangled in a series of fights at the party.

Witnesses said a fight broke out between two women, one a friend of Perez. Afterwards, Wohlman asked Perez and his friends to leave, which prosecutors said enraged Perez.

More fights broke out, and witnesses reported seeing Perez pull out a .25-caliber pistol and fire it into the air several times. In the end, Wohlman tackled Perez, and the state alleged Perez intentionally shot Wohlman in the head.

Defense attorneys argued the shooting was an accident. They said Perez's gun went off when he was tackled. Perez's actions were "reckless" but not murderous, his lawyers said, suggesting jurors find Perez guilty of involuntary manslaughter, one of the several alternatives in the case.

Perez must serve 70 percent of his sentence - or about 35 years - before becoming eligible for parole, according to Iowa law.

Perez will be sentenced at 10 a.m. April 11 in Cedar Rapids.

The fatal shooting occurred in Tama County, but Judge Thomas Koehler moved the proceedings to Cedar Rapids after ruling pre-trial publicity hindered Perez's ability to get a fair hearing.

Another defendant, Salvador Cruz Jr., was sentenced in July to 24 years in prison after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to two counts of intimidation with a dangerous weapon and to accessory after the fact.

Cruz also pleaded guilty to delivery of methamphetamine in a separate case in Marshall County. He received a 10-year prison sentence, which he will serve concurrently with his sentence in Tama County.

Contact Josh Nelson at (319) 291-1565 or josh.nelson@wcfcourier.com.