A jury in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court convicted a man in the 2022 shooting death of 9-year-old Lasang Kemp.
District Attorney Scott Colom declared Christopher Perkins guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault on Thursday, November 7.
A court sentenced Perkins to life in prison for murder and 20 years in jail for each aggravated assault conviction, which will run consecutively.
On January 5, 2022, a vehicle on Santa Anita Drive shot and killed Kemp.
Perkins was in an ongoing quarrel with another man when he shot into the vehicle, killing Kemp. The incident occurred while three other persons were in the automobile.
Colom and Starkville Police Chief Mark Ballard held an emotional press conference on Friday morning, declaring the completion of justice.
“So you know I showed this picture of Lasang Kemp Jr. to the jury and it represents an innocence that we all hold dear,” Colom told the media on Friday.
