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Mother, stepfather of Jamarion Lawhorn sentenced for child abuse

Posted at 4:43 PM, Nov 24, 2015
and last updated 2015-11-24 16:43:51-05
Anita Lawhorn (Photo from Kent County Sheriff's Department)

Anita Lawhorn (Photo from Kent County Sheriff’s Department)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The mother and stepfather of the youngest convicted killer in Kent County were sentenced Tuesday for child abuse charges.

Anita Lawhorn and Bernard Harrold were both sentenced to one year in jail and five years probation for third-degree child abuse involving Jamarion Lawhorn.

Because Lawhorn and Harrold have other children, their sentences were split.   Lawhorn was ordered to serve 150 days in jail before beginning her probation, with credit for 36 days already served.

Harrold will serve 150 days two weeks after Lawhorn is released.  They will both serve the remainder of their sentences at some point after probation.

Both were also ordered to complete parenting classes and neither of them are allowed to contact Jamarion without authorization.

Jamarion Lawhorn, 13, was sentenced Nov. 4to detention at the Muskegon River Youth Home until a determination is made about what type of sentence he should serve as an adult.

He was 12 years old when he stabbed and killed 9-year-old Connor Verkerke in July 2014 at a playground in Kentwood.