In court, Antwan Franklin
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Antwan Franklin is on trial for capital murder for the death of former NFL and Oklahoma football player Du’Vonta Lampkin in May 2022.
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Prosecutors have painted Franklin as the “mastermind” behind the robbery and murder.
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He took the stand in his own defense on Thursday morning and claimed he only told others to steal from Lampkin, but said he didn’t intend for them to hurt him.
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Antwan Franklin is on trial for capital murder for the death of former NFL and Oklahoma football player Du’Vonta Lampkin in May 2022.
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Prosecutors have painted Franklin as the “mastermind” behind the robbery and murder.
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He took the stand in his own defense on Thursday morning and claimed he only told others to steal from Lampkin, but said he didn’t intend for them to hurt him.
DallasOn Thursday, the guy who is suspected of killing a former football player for OU and the NFL testified in his own defense.
at May 2022, Du’Vonta Lampkin was shot and died at an Airbnb in Downtown Dallas.
Lampkin was allegedly robbed and killed by two individuals, Antwan Franklin and Erick Garcia, in exchange for a rucksack full of cash.
Franklin admitted to buying and selling marijuana on the side when he testified Thursday morning. That’s how he knew Lampkin, he added.
Franklin said that because he owed Garcia $1,200, he informed him that Lampkin had roughly $20,000 in cash in a rucksack. Garcia had threatened him, he said, and that was why he was scared.
Franklin claimed he anticipated that while Lampkin was out, Garcia and a third man, John Williams, would break into the Airbnb where he was staying and take his money.
“I was attempting to simply act as though I had been threatened. I just wanted to make sure that everything went according to plan so that he would be delighted and no one would be harmed,” he stated.
Franklin informed the jury that at the time of the murder, he was not upstairs in Lampkin’s Airbnb. He stated he hoped no one was wounded when he took an Uber home.
Prosecutors, however, questioned Franklin during cross-examination over social media exchanges between him and Garcia that made repeated references to a heist, his share of the $20,000, and the need to wait for Lampkin to arrive.
Franklin was also questioned by prosecutors about why it appeared that he was making decisions based on the communications.
Franklin insisted that he was the one under duress and that he didn’t want anyone to be harmed.
Closing Arguments
Closing arguments are presented by the defense and the prosecution in Antwan Franklin’s trial for Du’Vonta Lampkin’s capital murder. In 2022, retired football player Lampkin was murdered in Downtown Dallas.
On Thursday afternoon, the case was turned over to the jury after the concluding arguments from both parties.
Jurors were informed by the prosecution that it makes no difference whether Franklin was the shooter or not. He is still legally liable.
As you are already aware, Antwon Franklin organized a heist in which John Williams and Eric Garcia followed Du Vonta Lampkin into his Airbnb and robbed him. Additionally, he was murdered during that heist,” the prosecutor stated. “I m still responsible for what happens and what my other co-defendants do in furtherance of my plan.”
The defense contended that the state had not established Franklin’s intent to murder Lampkin and that there was no proof that any of the parties involved in the case had firearms.
The defense lawyer stated, “Their intent was to steal money and steal drugs,” “After that, we don t know what they did.”
“I believe it’s pretty clear that he planned that heist on purpose. It’s pretty clear to me that Du Vonta died from a gunshot wound. In this scenario, how do we know what’s happening? Lead prosecutor Jacob Zachariah said, “I showed you guys on the door locks, and it was a quick thing.”
He went over the timeline once more and instructed the jurors to apply common sense and draw a logical conclusion from the evidence.
The matter is currently being deliberated by the jury.
What happened on the first day of testimony?
On Wednesday, the second man was charged with the capital murder of Du’Vonta Lampkin, a football player from North Texas.
The state presented the jury with social media messages as proof on the first day of testimony, claiming that they demonstrated that Franklin collaborated with Garcia to rob and murder Lampkin.
Franklin was aware that Lampkin had large sums of money on him from allegedly distributing marijuana, according to the prosecution.
“This whole affair was put up by Antwan. Lead prosecutor Jacob Zachariah stated, “You will see Instagram messages between Erik Garcia and Antwan Franklin that set up this robbery.” “Antwan set up this robbery so that he too could profit off of it.”
Suspect was ‘mastermind’ behind Du’Vonta Lampkin’s murder, prosecutors say
The suspect in the Dallas capital murder prosecution of former NFL and OU football player Du Vonta Lampkin started testifying on Wednesday.
The Backstory
The murder of Lampkin was highlighted on FOX 4’s Trackdown.
The segment’s video showed two males walking inside the Downtown Dallas Airbnb where Lampkin was staying.
Lampkin’s rucksack containing thousands of dollars in cash is seen being taken by one man as he leaves.
Trackdown: Help find Duvonta Lampkins’ killer
Two fresh pieces of evidence have been added to the body of the police investigation into the death of a former University of Oklahoma football player in a Dallas apartment.
According to the police, Franklin had hung out with Lampkin prior to the incident and knew him on some level.
Following his imprisonment and bond release, Franklin vanished for over a year. This summer, he made a second appearance on Trackdown.
In July, U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force Officer B.K. Nelson told FOX 4 that “he cut his ankle monitor off in June of 2023.”
Franklin was in an SUV when a woman in Mesquite fled from police attempting to apprehend him that same month.
However, a viewer of the show on FOX 4 called the U.S. Marshals, and Richardson police apprehended Franklin at an apartment building.
Dallas County jury acquits man of OU football player s murder
On May 5, 20222, John Williams was found not guilty of shooting and killing 25-year-old Du vonta Lampkin during a failed heist. There are still two suspects pending trial.
At the time of the trial, Williams, the third suspect named, was also taken into custody. He was implicated in the crime by Franklin.
However, the judge ruled a mistrial as Williams’ trial got underway. Additionally, he was found not guilty when the case went to trial a second time.
Garcia’s trial has not yet taken place.
Who was Du’Vonta Lampkin?
Following his murder in a Downtown Dallas apartment, the family of a former football player for the University of Oklahoma is in mourning.
After playing for Oklahoma University for three years, Lampkin had a brief stint with the Tennessee Titans.
When he was killed, he was in the middle of returning home to North Texas.
His best buddy, who went to check on him, spoke on the stand on Wednesday about discovering his body.
He testified that his girlfriend at the time, who wasn’t in the flat with him, had to contact 911 because he was so upset.
“When I entered, he was already dead. He had passed away. Blood on the floor, eyes open. Devonaire Clarington declared, “He was dead.”
On Wednesday, Franklin’s aunt and mother were present in the courtroom. After the trial is over, they will comment, they told FOX 4.
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Statements made throughout the trial and previous news coverage provided the information for this story.
Statements made throughout the trial and previous news coverage provided the information for this story.
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