UPDATE: Suspect in Starkville murder found guilty

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)  – A Starkville man has been sentenced to life in prison for his part in the death of a 9-year-old child.

After several hours of deliberation Thursday, an Oktibbeha County jury found Christopher Perkins guilty of First Degree Murder and 2 counts of Aggravated Assault.

Perkins is one of four men charged in the shooting death of 9-year-old Lasang Kemp Jr.

The child was shot inside of a vehicle on Santa Anita Drive in January 2022 .

District Attorney Scott Colom had originally planned to have all of the suspects tried together, but Perkins’ case was separated from the others.

The judge in the case sentenced Perkins to Life in Prison for the Murder charge and gave him 20 years for each Aggravated Assault charge, to be served concurrently.