The man charged with killing Memphis musician Blake Rhea, a bass player for Grammy-nominated soul blues group Southern Avenue and other local groups, was convicted by a jury over the weekend, the Shelby County District Attorney's Office said in an Oct. 12 press release.
Edward Wurl, now 53, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a handgun on Nov. 7, 2024, a day after Rhea was killed. According to the DA's office, the jury deliberated for "just eight minutes" before returning a guilty verdict on both counts.
Rhea was killed in November 2024. According to the Memphis Police Department, police were called to Louis Connelly's Bar for Fun Times & Friendship at 1:13 a.m. and found Rhea dead. A man, later
identified as Wurl, ran away from the scene, MPD said.
MPD said Wurl and Rhea were "involved in a verbal altercation" inside the bar before moving outside. A police affidavit said the security guard at Louis Connelly's Bar "heard several gunshots" and saw Rhea had been shot inside a car. Surveillance footage reviewed by officers showed the shooting, the affidavit said.
The affidavit said footage showed Rhea walking toward his car across the street and the other man, Wurl, could be seen holding a knife behind his back.
"Rhea gets in his vehicle while the other subject stands between the opened car door and the car," the affidavit said. "The male in the dark colored shirt then leans into the opened driver's side door and appears to struggle with Rhea. When the male backs away, Rhea appears to be slumping over. The subject stands at the opened door looking at Rhea for several seconds before raising his right hand in the direction of Rhea. Several flashes can be seen, consistent with muzzle flashes from a firearm, coming from the subject's right hand."
According to the DA's office, Wurl's trial included "extensive footage and digital evidence," which contained "at least 18,000 individual items." Frame-by-frame video analysis and phone evidence was key in the trial, the DA's office said.
"Digital evidence also included an internet search on Wurl's phone a week before the killing asking, 'If I haven't fired my gun in years will it work?'" the DA's office said in a press release. "Facebook records showed repeated visits to Rhea's profile in the months leading up to the killing."
Wurl took the stand during trial, the DA's office said, a move not often seen during criminal trials due to the risk of a defendant self-incriminating themselves.
Wurl was sentenced to life with parole for the first-degree murder charge, but is set to be sentenced for the felon in possession of a firearm conviction on Nov. 13.
Who was Blake Rhea?
Rhea is perhaps best known for touring with Southern Avenue, the Grammy-nominated soul blues group, but also performed as part of summer 2024's Outlaw Music tour with Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp. He was a well-known player in the Memphis music scene since the 90s.
He has also played alongside bluesman John Németh, hip-hop group Lord T & Eloise, soul-jazz combo The Gamble Brothers Band and roots songstress Marcella Simien, among others.
Rhea graduated from Memphis University School, when he first started playing bass, and then studied music at Rhodes College.
He co-founded CYC, an eclectic Bluff City band that blended hip-hop, rock and jazz. In 2013, he joined the rock band American Fiction, who recorded an album with Jimi Hendrix producer Eddie Kramer. Rhea also was part of the band Rabid Villain, which featured Elliott Ives, the longtime guitarist for Justin Timberlake.
In addition to his work on stage and in the studio, Rhea was an instructor, teaching music at the School of Rock in Germantown.
After Rhea's killing, members of Memphis’ close-knit music community began posting about Rhea on social media.
Southern Avenue singer Tierinii Naftaly wrote that Rhea was a "a light that will never be forgotten...My heart is breaking for you and your family."
Commercial Appeal music writer Bob Mehr contributed to this report.
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Man found guilty of murder in killing of Memphis musician Blake Rhea
