DC man found guilty of bludgeoning 2 roommates to death with hammer

WASHINGTON - A D.C. man was found guilty of bludgeoning his two roommates to death with a hammer, according to officials.

Officials said 25-year-old Jeffrey Neal was found guilty by a jury on two counts of first-degree murder while armed, with aggravating circumstances in the death's of 22-year-old Leon Young and 23-year-old Dean Wingfield.

The Metropolitan Police Department said it responded to reports of an unconscious person in the 1800 block of Eighth Street, NW the morning of June 12, 2014.

When officers arrived at the scene they said the body of Young was found naked in the attic with a black plastic bag tied around his head.

Neal was arrested and charged with Young's murder the following day.

When officials returned to the house on June 16, 2014, they discovered the body of Wingfield buried in a shallow grave. Wingfield was found naked except for a pair of socks, investigators said.

Neal claimed he killed Young in self-defense after Young told him he killed Wingfield, but detectives found Wingfield's blood in Neal's bedroom, officials stated.

Authorities said Neal also told police he left socks on Young's body, but it was in fact Wingfield's body that had been wearing socks.

Neal claimed he hit Young with a hammer twice, but the autopsy revealed Young had been hit 26 times, according to officials.

Neal's sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 20.