HAHNVILLE — A St. Rose man was found guilty Thursday in the brutal shooting death of 19-year-old Jared Mealey.

St. Charles Parish District Attorney Joel T. Chaisson II said the jury deliberated for just over an hour before returning the guilty verdict for Leslie Reed, 22. The verdict capped a three-day trial.

Judge Emile St. Pierre set sentencing for May 19.

Reed was arrested June 7, 2012, following Mealey’s shooting in St. Rose on May 29, 2012.

According to a St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office report, Mealey was found shot multiple times inside a Chevy Impala in the 600 block of Turtle Creek Road in the Preston Hollow neighborhood around 8:40 p.m. on May 29. Mealey, of St. Rose, had bullet wounds to his neck and face and was pronounced dead at the scene.

When deputies got to Mealey’s car, it had run over a mailbox and had come to rest against a nearby fire hydrant. Authorities said the windows on the driver’s side of the car were shattered, and responding deputies found Mealey sitting in the driver’s seat.

Chaisson said Mealey’s family members were present in the courtroom throughout the trial and when the verdict was returned.

“I cannot say enough about the hard work and diligence of the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office in this case,” Chaisson said. “Their efforts to investigate and secure the evidence necessary to obtain this conviction were exceptional.

“I also want to commend my prosecutors who have dedicated themselves to bringing this case to its just conclusion and have never stopped their pursuit for justice for Jared Mealey.”

Chaisson said it is his hope Mealey’s family, now that this conviction has been secured, can “gain the closure necessary to move forward and heal.”

Assistant District Attorneys Kim McElwee and Connie Aucoin prosecuted the case against Reed.