Larry Jenkins will spend the rest of his life behind bars after a Dallas County jury found him guilty Friday morning of murdering former professional basketball player Andre Emmett three years ago.
Testimony in the capital murder trial wrapped up Thursday afternoon and the jury was handed the case. Deliberations carried over into Friday morning before a verdict was announced at about 11:20 a.m.
Two other men, Michael Lucky and Keith Johnson are also charged with capital murder in Emmett's slaying though a witness told Dallas Police that Jenkins was the one who pulled the trigger during an attempted robbery.
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As the jury announced the guilty verdict, there were several strong, emotional reactions in the courtroom. Prosecutors did not pursue the death penalty in the capital murder case so Jenkins faces an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole.
VICTIM'S MOTHER SHOWS COMPASSION AFTER THE VERDICT
Emmett's mother Regina Oliver delivered a victim's impact statement letting Jenkins know what her son meant to her.
"We had a bond like no other," Oliver said. "And for somebody to come along and take what he worked his ass off for. He worked for every dime he had."
Oliver said her son texted her a now haunting message just a couple of hours before he was killed.
"He texted me and said, 'Mom, I love you always,'" Oliver said. "I thought that was very odd."
In her closing words aimed directly at Jenkins, she showed compassion through faith.
"So I ask God sincerely to help you get yourself together and give your life to God," Oliver said.
She said it's with that same faith she will carry on.
"Forever I will hurt," Oliver said. "Forever half my heart is gone. Forever. But in the name of Jesus, I will eventually be OK."
FORMER NBA PLAYER, LOCAL STANDOUT KILLED IN ROBBERY
Prosecutors said Larry Jenkins and two other men followed Andre Emmett, who was 35, from a nightclub to his Dallas home on Sept. 23, 2019.
After he parked in his garage, the three confronted him and demanded two chains and a watch he was wearing.
A witness told police that Jenkins, whom police had placed at the crime scene, was the one who fatally shot Emmett before the three fled.
Police released home surveillance video footage of the crime to obtain tips on the thieves' identities. Keith Johnson and Michael Lucky were arrested a month after the slaying and await trial on capital murder charges.
Authorities said cellphone data also placed Jenkins at the nightclub and Emmett's home, and he was arrested a year later.
Police said a passer-by called 911 after finding Emmett several hundred feet from his home.
During closing arguments on Thursday, Assistant District Attorney Drew Taylor reminded jurors of the cruel and violent nature of Emmett’s death, having been robbed and shot while running away.
"It is sad that the last new memory that Andre Emmett had was being gunned down, crawling asking for help," said Taylor.
Jurors were also asked to consider the expert witnesses who said phone records and Facebook activity placed Jenkins at the location of the murder that night in 2019.
The defense, however, said the evidence doesn’t put Jenkins at the scene and pointed to the credibility of the prosecution's witnesses, calling them "hooks and crooks."
Emmett’s family said he was a talented basketball player, but he was most proud of being a family man and father to two little girls, ages 2 and 3 at the time of his death.
"His girls were and are his life," said his sister, Sasha Emmett. "They don't really know what's going on, but they were with him all the time and he's going to be absent in their life now."
ANDRE EMMETT
ANDRE EMMETT'S BASKETBALL CAREER
Emmett was a standout player at Dallas Carter High School who went on to play guard for the Texas Tech Red Raiders for four years, three under head coach Bob Knight, and set a team career scoring record by the time his collegiate run ended in 2004.
He never reached those heights in the NBA, playing eight games with the Memphis Grizzlies and six with the New Jersey Nets. He also played two professional seasons in the NBA Development League -- now called the G League -- three seasons in Europe and two in China before attaining stardom in the Big3, a three-on-three basketball league founded by actor and rapper Ice Cube.
The league retired Emmett's jersey last month
