'Mastermind' behind Du'Vonta Lampkin's murder found guilty, gets life in prison

DALLAS - The man Dallas prosecutors say masterminded the 2022 murder of a University of Oklahoma football player will spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of capital murder.

Antwan Franklin was one of three men arrested for the robbery and murder of Du'Vonta Lampkin.

The victim's family faced their loved ones' killer in court Thursday, telling Franklin he not only ruined the lives of the victim's family but also ruined the lives of his family.

Jurors reached their verdict on Thursday afternoon after deliberating for only a few hours.

The judge immediately gave Antwan Franklin an automatic life sentence.

Antwan Franklin takes the stand

Prosecutors accused Franklin of being the "mastermind" behind a plan to rob and kill Lampkin in his Downtown Dallas Airbnb in May 2022.

Surveillance video showed a man prosecutors say is Erick Garcia, the second suspect, and another guy enter the apartment building and wait in the stairwell for Lampkin to arrive.

Forty seconds later, prosecutors say Garcia is seen running out of the building with Lampkin's backpack. A friend of Lampkin found him dead a day later.

When he took the stand in his own defense on Thursday morning, he confessed to buying and selling marijuana as a side job. He said that’s how he knew Lampkin.

Franklin claimed he told Garcia that Lampkin had about $20,000 in cash in a backpack. He said he owed Garcia $1,200 and was afraid because Garcia had threatened him.

Franklin said he expected Garcia and a third man, John Williams, to break into the Airbnb where Lampkin was staying and steal his money while he wasn’t there.

"I was trying to just make him, make his like… after me being threatened I was just trying to make everything go well as planned so it could make him happy but not get no one hurt," he said.

Franklin told the jury he was not upstairs inside Lampkin’s Airbnb when the murder happened. He said he took an Uber home and was hoping no one got hurt.

But during cross-examination, prosecutors grilled Franklin about social media messages between him and Garcia that repeatedly mentioned a robbery, his cut of the $20,000, and the fact that they should wait for Lampkin to get there. 

Prosecutors also questioned Franklin about why the messages made it seem like he was the one calling the shots.

Franklin maintained that he didn’t want anyone to get hurt and that he was the one under duress.

Closing Arguments

Both sides gave their closing arguments before handing the case off to the jury on Thursday afternoon.

Prosecutors reminded jurors that it doesn’t matter if Franklin was the one who pulled the trigger or not. By law, he’s still responsible.

"You now know that Antwon Franklin coordinated a robbery whereby Eric Garcia and John Williams followed Du’Vonta Lampkin into his Airbnb, and they rob him. And during the course of that robbery, he’s murdered," the prosecutor said. "I’m still responsible for what happens and what my other co-defendants do in furtherance of my plan."

The defense argued the state did not prove Franklin intended to kill Lampkin, also pointing out there’s no evidence that anyone involved in the case had a gun.

"Their intent was to steal money and steal drugs," the defense attorney said. "After that, we don’t know what they did."

"I think it’s quite obvious that he was intentionally setting up that robbery. I think it’s quite obvious that Du’Vonta has passed away from a gunshot wound. How do we know what’s going on in this case? It was a quick thing I showed you guys on the door locks," said Jacob Zachariah, the lead prosecutor. 

He reviewed the timeline again and told jurors they get to use their common sense and make a reasonable inference on the evidence that was presented.

Victim Impact Statement 

All of the jurors stayed after the verdict to hear the victim impact statement. Some wept as Lampkin's mother took the stand.

"You took something from me that I cherished. For 952 days, I have suffered," said Vanessa Lampkin. "You knew he could give you anything if you asked because he had a heart of gold. But you took that."

FOX 4 spoke to both parents, Vanessa and Eddie Lampkin, after the trial was finished.

"He ruined his family, and my family's life, and he has to live with that for the rest of his life," Vanessa said.

"I’m happy to see justice," Eddie said. "A whole lot of closure."

What happened on the first day of testimony?

On the first day of testimony, the state showed the jury social media messages as evidence, saying they proved Franklin worked with Garcia to rob and kill Lampkin.

Prosecutors said Franklin knew Lampkin had lots of cash on him from allegedly dealing marijuana.

"Antwan set this whole thing up. There’s going to be Instagram messages that you’re going to see between Erik Garcia and Antwan Franklin setting up this robbery," said Jacob Zachariah, the lead prosecutor. "Antwan set up this robbery so that he too could profit off of it."

The Backstory

Lampkin's murder was featured on FOX 4’s Trackdown. 

Video featured on the segment showed two men entering the Airbnb where Lampkin was staying in Downtown Dallas.

One man is seen leaving with Lampkin’s backpack that was filled with thousands of dollars in cash.

Police said Franklin knew Lampkin on some level and hung out with him before the incident.

Franklin, after being arrested and released on bond, disappeared for more than a year. He was featured on Trackdown a second time this summer.

"In June of 2023, he cut his ankle monitor off," Officer B.K. Nelson with the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force told FOX 4 in July.

That same month, a woman driving an SUV with Franklin inside got away from police trying to grab him in Mesquite.

But a FOX 4 viewer who saw the segment contacted the U.S. Marshals and Franklin was arrested by Richardson police at an apartment complex.

Williams, the third suspect mentioned during the trial, was also arrested at the time. Franklin implicated him in the crime.

But as Williams' trial began, the judge declared a mistrial. And when the case went to trial for a second time, he was found not guilty.

Garcia has not yet gone to trial.

Who was Du'Vonta Lampkin?

Lampkin briefly played for the Tennessee Titans after three years of playing for the University of Oklahoma. He was in the process of moving back home to North Texas when he was killed.

On Wednesday, his best friend took the stand and talked about finding his body after going to check on him.

He testified he was so distraught that his girlfriend at the time, who was not with him at the apartment, had to call 911.

"He was dead when I walked in. He was dead. Eyes open, blood on the floor. He was dead," Devonaire Clarington said.

What's Next?

Neither Franklin's family nor his attorney spoke to reporters after the trial. He will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Garcia is expected to go on trial for capital murder before the end of the year.

A third man who was arrested, John Williams, was ultimately found not guilty.