Man convicted of murder in Coralville mall shooting

NEVADA (AP) — Jurors have convicted a man of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a woman in a Coralville mall.

Jurors in Story County Court on Monday afternoon found 23-year-old Alexander Kozak guilty after deliberating less than two hours. Sentencing will be June 6.

Kozak was charged in the June 12 shooting that killed 20-year-old Andrea Farrington at Coral Ridge Mall.

Prosecutors say Farrington was shot three times while working in the mall. Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness argued the shooting was premeditated.

Police say Kozak told officers he “snapped” after Farrington texted him to say she was breaking off their relationship.

Kozak’s lawyer Alfredo Parrish called the shooting a “crime of passion” and asked for a voluntary manslaughter verdict.

The trial was moved to Story County because of media attention.