2nd suspect in Du’Vonta Lampkin murder case pleads guilty, is sentenced to 28 years
DALLAS - A second suspect accused in the murder of former University of Oklahoma football player Du’Vonta Lampkin accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
Court records confirmed Erick Garcia pleaded guilty to a charge that was reduced from capital murder to murder.
He was sentenced on Wednesday to 28 years in prison and given about 2 and a half years credit for the time he’s already spent in jail.
The Backstory
Lampkin's murder was featured on FOX 4’s Trackdown in 2022.
Video that aired during 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 believe that the man was Garcia.
They said he worked with Antwan Franklin, who was convicted of capital murder earlier this month and then given an automatic life sentence.
Antwan Franklin’s Trial
Prosecutors said Franklin was the "mastermind" behind the plan to rob and kill Lampkin.
When he took the stand, he confessed to buying and selling marijuana as a side job. That’s how he knew Lampkin and knew that Lampkin had a backpack with about $20,000 in it.
'Mastermind' behind Du'Vonta Lampkin's murder found guilty, gets life in prison
Antwan Franklin was the "mastermind" behind a plan to rob and kill Du'Vonta Lampkin in his Downtown Dallas Airbnb in May 2022. He received an automatic life sentence.
Prosecutors showed jurors social media messages between Franklin and Garcia that mentioned the robbery, Franklin’s cut of the $20,000, and the fact that Garcia and a third man should wait for Lampkin to arrive.
"You now know that Antwon Franklin coordinated a robbery whereby Eric Garcia and John Williams followed Du’Vonta Lampkin into his Airbnb, and they robbed him. And during the course of that robbery, he’s murdered," prosecutors said during closing arguments. "I’m still responsible for what happens and what my other co-defendants do in furtherance of my plan."
Williams, the third man who was arrested in the case, stood trial in October and was found not guilty.
Dallas County jury acquits man of OU football player’s murder
John Williams was found not guilty in the shooting death of 25-year-old Du’vonta Lampkin during a botched robbery on May 5, 20222. Two suspects are still awaiting 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.
Lampkin’s mother talked about him at the end of Franklin’s trial.
"You took something from me that I cherished. For 952 days, I have suffered," Vanessa Lampkin said during her victim impact statements. "You knew he could give you anything if you asked because he had a heart of gold. But you took that."