GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A judge has ruled that Jamarion Lawhorn is competent to stand trial for the stabbing death of 9-year-old Connor Verkerke, according to Kent County 17th Circuit Court officials.
The trial for Lawhorn, 13, is scheduled to begin July 15 and is expected to last for four days. He’s accused of stabbing Verkerke on Aug. 4, 2014 at a playground near Pinebrook Village Mobile Home Park in Kentwood.
Lawhorn, who was 12 at the time of the alleged crime, is the youngest person accused of murder in Kent County history. He was playing with Verkerke and two other boys on Aug. 4 when he allegedly stabbed the 9-year-old multiple times.
One boy ran back to his home, while Connor’s 7-year-old brother attempted to carry his dying brother to their parents for help. They tried to provide aid, but the 9-year-old died shortly after the attack.
