Jamarion Lawhorn: Teen Convicted In Playground Murder Of 9-Year-Old
A jury yesterday afternoon found Jamarion Lawhorn, 13, guilty of first-degree murder in the tragic playground stabbing death of Connor Verkerke, 9, in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area.
Lawhorn, who was 12 at the time, was charged as an adult and has been held at a juvenile detention facility since the August 4, 2014, fatal kitchen-knife stabbing in what was a random attack. He is said to be youngest convicted murderer in the history of Kent County, Michigan, where Grand Rapids is the county seat.
According to a forensic pathologist who testified at the three-day trial, “Connor Verkerke was stabbed six times; two of the wounds would have been fatal by themselves. Each penetrated three inches into his upper right back and into the right lung, causing fatal bleeding,” ABC News affiliate WZZM reported.
Lawhorn was allegedly the victim of child abuse by his mother and stepfather. His lawyer tried to raise the insanity defense but that claim was apparently rejected by the jury. The presiding judge previously ruled that the accused youngster was legally competent to stand trial.
“I’ve got a problem with anger,” he allegedly told a counselor, according to WZZM.
The jury took less than five hours to reach its finding of first-degree murder.
“Prison is the answer, for right now,” Conner’s father said after the trial ended.
“The defense had argued that a lifetime of abuse at the hands of his mom and stepdad pushed Jamarion to kill. Experts testified that Jamarion said he did it so he would get arrested and sentenced to death,” WOOD-TV reported.
“The jury had to determine whether years of abuse at home had wrecked Lawhorn’s mental health and overwhelmed his decisions. In his closing argument, prosecutor Kevin Bramble said the killing was planned for months and the boy knew what he did was wrong because he called 911. During the call, which was played for the jury, the boy demands that police arrest him and give him the electric chair,” the Daily Mail added.
Jury's decision means they didn't believe mental health had anything to do with Lawhorn's actions during the murder. @FOX17
— Troy Campbell (@TroyLeeCampbell) September 4, 2015
The stepfather pleaded guilty to third-degree child abuse in July, while Lawhorn’s mother is scheduled to go on trial for child abuse this month.
Jamarion Lawhorn will be formally sentenced at a later date. Under the jury verdict, he will be behind bars in the juvenile jail until he is approximately age 21, at which point the judicial system has several options, including releasing him.
“[I]t would be up to either a judge or a jury to determine if Jamarion should spend 25 to 40 years in prison, life in prison without the possibility of parole, or be set free,” M.live.com explained.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv2O3zeu0Qo
[image via YouTube]
