13-Year-Old Found Guilty of 1st Degree Murder

Jurors have found Jamarion Lawhorn, 13, guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of a younger boy at a Kentwood playground last August.

Jamarion Lawhorn

The verdict was delivered Friday afternoon in Kent County Circuit Court.

Lawhorn was charged as an adult. He’s been held at Kent County’s juvenile detention facility since his arrest last August.

A Kent County judge this summer ruled that Lawhorn was competent to assist in his own defense for the slaying of Connor Verkerke at the Pinewood Village mobile home park.

Michael Verkerke

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Upon the guilty verdict, Lawhorn is likely to be held in a juvenile facility until he’s 21. He could then be released or sent to an adult prison. His sentencing hasn’t yet been scheduled, though.

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“All I know is clearly he was mentally ill, and that was admitted by everyone,” said defense attorney Boekeloo. “So whether they came up with a guilty but mentally ill verdict or not, mental illness still will likely be taken into account at sentencing.”

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