Teen who killed near Renaissance sentenced

A Canton teenager has been sentenced in the April 2021 murder of another Canton teen in Ridgeland, District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced.

“I hope that this case and sentence will send a message to stop the violence that is currently plaguing the teenagers in our communities,” Bramlett said.

Circuit Court Judge Bradley Mills on Feb. 1 ordered the teen, Marcus Latezo Luckett, Jr., 17, to serve 40 years and be released after serving the first 28 without the possibility of parole or early release before then.

Luckett will be on five years of supervised probation upon release. 

On April 24, 2021, Luckett, who was 15 at the time, followed a vehicle from Canton into Ridgeland on I-55, Bramlett said. While in front of the Renaissance, Luckett fired shots at the vehicle striking and killing Lakender Francis, 16, and wounding Kaiden Thomas, 19. 

An investigation concluded that there was an ongoing dispute between Luckett and Francis, including an incident a month earlier in which Luckett himself was shot. Police believed that shooting was the motive for the killing. 

“We are thankful for the Ridgeland Police Department for the thorough investigation into this matter so that the Francis family could get closure,” Bramlett said. 

Luckett pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder. Representatives from both the victim's and Defendant’s families spoke at the sentencing hearing Feb. 1. 

“This is yet another example of teens committing violent crimes against other teens,“ Bramlett said. “In this situation, there are no winners.”