GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - More than four years after he fatally stabbed a nine-year-old boy at a Kentwood playground, convicted killer Jamarion Lawhorn continues to make progress at an Osceola County youth home, where he is serving time for first-degree murder.
“Am I missing something or is he doing as well as it seems to me he’s doing,’’ Kent County Circuit Court Judge Paul Denenfeld asked at Lawhorn’s six-month review hearing.
“No, your honor; he continues to make positive progress in the program,’’ Lawhorn’s caseworker responded.
Lawhorn, now 16, has been at the Muskegon River Youth Home for nearly three years. He was sent there after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder for the August, 2014 stabbing death of Connor Verkerke.
Lawhorn was 12 when he plunged a knife into Verkerke’s back at Pinewood Village mobile home park after Verkerke fell off a slide. Prosecutors contend Lawhorn had been planning to kill someone for more than a year.
A Kent County jury in September of 2015 deliberated less than five hours before finding Lawhorn guilty of first-degree murder.
Lawhorn was given a blended sentence; he will remain at the Muskegon River Youth Home in Evart until a determination is made regarding a potential adult sentence when he turns 21.
“I thank God for all the support I got,’’ Lawhorn told the judge on Tuesday. “I’m doing good.’’
Denenfeld, who presided over the trial, noted that Lawhorn has taken responsibility for his crime and seems truly remorseful.
“It was a long time ago when Jamarion accepted responsibility for this offense and continues to make no excuses for what happened here, which, of course, is important,’’ the judge said.
Denenfeld commended Lawhorn on the progress he’s made. “I’m impressed with you every time I see you,’’ the judge said. “I’ve been thrilled to watch how you have progressed.’’
But Lawhorn continues to be bothered by his mother’s infrequent visits, according to testimony at Tuesday’s six-month review hearing.
That was not lost on the judge, who addressed Anita Lawhorn as she sat beside her son in the courtroom.
“Your visits seem to make a significant difference to Jamarion,’’ Denenfeld said. “He loves you, he loves his siblings. He would like to see all of you as frequently as possible. Is there anything we can do to make this easier for you?’’
Lawhorn told the judge she works third shift and sometimes works up to six days a week. “My main thing is finances,’’ she said. “As much as I like to go see Jamarion, sometimes money doesn’t provide for me to be able to get to see him.’’
The judge told Lawhorn that her visits are important for Jamarion’s well-being.
“All I can do is encourage you to get there when you can,’’ Denenfeld said. “Jamarion committed an unusual offense for a young man of his age. He’s doing tremendously well. I’d just hate to see any kind of setbacks that could be prevented.’’
At trial, Lawhorn’s attorney argued that years of physical and psychological abuse had taken its toll. The tipping point came the morning of Aug. 4, 2014 when Lawhorn's stepfather promised him a beating for using a computer without permission.
His lawyer argued that Lawhorn’s bottled-up angst exploded in a gruesome attack on Verkerke, who was stabbed five times in the back and once in the arm with a kitchen knife Lawhorn hid beneath the playground sand.
Two of the blows entered three inches into the boy's back, puncturing Connor's right lung. One was delivered with enough force to penetrate a rib.
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