HOUSTON — Kendrick Johnson, the man accused of murdering a Lamar High School student in 2018, pleaded not guilty in a courtroom Tuesday morning at the start of his trial.
Johnson is charged with the murder of DeLindsey Mack. Detectives said Mack was lured to his death on November 13, 2018, as he walked near his high school with another student and a woman who has also been charged with his murder.
Mack's mother Dahlia and other family members were in the courtroom during Johnson's court appearance. Dahlia was visibly upset when she saw Johnson enter the courtroom.
In the opening statement, the prosecution said Mack was shot seven times. The prosecution said Mack's death was the result of two Third Ward gangs at war and Kendrick Johnson, who was a teenager at the time, planned an execution.
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Johnson is being tried as the shooter and organizer of Mack's death.
Two other people charged in Mack's murder, 18-year-old Dave’on Thomas and a 17-year-old girl, will face separate trials.
Johnson's trial is expected to last up to seven days.