DALLAS — The first of three men charged with murdering former NBA player Andre Emmett was found guilty Friday morning.
A Dallas County jury was unanimous in finding Larry Jenkins guilty of capital murder following two days of deliberations. Jenkins had pleaded not guilty in the case.
Jenkins' trial began Tuesday with testimony from Emmett's mother Regina Oliver as well as crime scene investigators and officers.
Following Friday's verdict, Oliver spent 15 minutes on the witness stand, delivering her victim impact statement to the court and speaking directly to Jenkins.
"All I can say for you sir is God have mercy on your soul. Because truly you need him," Oliver said.
She also told him, "What you did to my heart...is beyond repairable."
Emmett, 37, was shot on Sept. 23, 2019 during a robbery while eating Whataburger in his car in the driveway of his Old East Dallas home near Lower Greenville, Dallas police said.
The former Texas Tech University basketball star was taken to a hospital where he later died.
Jenkins’ attorneys told the court Tuesday “it starts out with Michael Lucky and it starts out with Keith Johnson” and that their client is getting “thrown in with the rest of the mix.” Lucky and Johnson were both indicted on capital murder charges in December 2019.
Johnson and Lucky shot Emmett during a robbery in which they stole his watch and a necklace, Dallas police say.
"I have lost half of my heart. Half of my heart is gone. And what did you want from him? Jewelry? A watch? He gave you what you asked for. But there wasn't enough?" Oliver said to Jenkins in part of her impact statement.
Dallas police released home security video captured by both Emmett and his neighbor’s doorbell cameras, which was played in court Tuesday. Half a dozen gunshots can be heard on the video, which also shows Emmett getting out of his car and running away.
Officers and crime scene investigators with the Dallas Police Department testified Tuesday that they collected evidence from two crime scenes that were relatively close: The location where Emmett was found and the driveway of his home, which is where they said the robbery occurred.
After attending high school in Dallas, Emmett went on to play basketball from 2000 to 2004 at Texas Tech University, where Bob Knight was his coach for three of the four seasons.
He remains the university's second all-time scorer and was named All-American his senior year.
In 2004, he was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics as a 35th overall pick in the NBA draft. He was later traded to the Memphis Grizzlies and went on to play for the New Jersey Nets.
He also played for several NBA developmental league teams, including in 2006 with the Dallas Mavericks for the Las Vegas Summer League.
In 2018, Emmett was the second overall pick in the 2018 BIG3 league, a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by rapper and actor Ice Cube. He was entering his second season with the league when he was killed.
"Andre was a gentle giant. Andre was loved. Andre was caring. Andrew was an awesome son," said his mother.