LIVE: Trial continues for man accused of murdering football player Du'Vonta Lampkin
DALLAS - The capital murder trial for the man accused of killing a former NFL and OU football player continues today.
Du'Vonta Lampkin was killed in May 2022.
Antwan Franklin in court
Two men, Antwan Franklin and Erick Garcia, are accused of killing the former football player for a backpack full of cash that prosecutors said they stole.
After being arrested for the murder and released on bond, Franklin was on the run for more than a year.
During Wednesday's testimony, prosecutors painted the 24-year-old as the mastermind behind the robbery and murder.
He could take the stand in his own defense on Thursday.
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."
Suspect was 'mastermind' behind Du'Vonta Lampkin's murder, prosecutors say
Testimony began on Wednesday in the capital murder trial for the suspect accused of killing former NFL and OU football player Du’Vonta Lampkin in Dallas.
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.
Trackdown: Help find Duvonta Lampkins' killer
Police investigating the murder of a former University of Oklahoma football player in a Dallas apartment have two new pieces of evidence to go on as they search for his killer.
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.
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.
A man named John Williams was also arrested at the time and implicated in the crime by Franklin.
But as his trial began, the judge declared a mistrial. And when the case went to trial for a second time, Williams was found not guilty.
Who was Du'Vonta Lampkin?
Lampkin briefly played for the Tennessee Titans after three years of playing for the Oklahoma University.
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.
Franklin’s mother and aunt were in the courtroom on Wednesday. They told FOX 4 they’ll comment after the trial ends.