A young man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to murdering his romantic rival with a sword after enlisting the assistance of two friends.
Andre Clements, 20, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for murder, tampering with evidence, and conspiracy to commit murder, according to NBC Miami.
He apologised in court, stating that he would give his life to bring back Dwight “DJ” Grant. A friend of Grant’s family, however, reportedly told the outlet that those were empty words that did nothing to alleviate their pain.
Dwight’s mother, Madelyn Emile, reportedly stated in court, “I will never walk my son down the aisle. He will never come and say anything to me because he is not here. He’s basking in power. All of the good things my son did, the memories will stay with me.”
Clements, who was 17 at the time of the crime, dragged two girls down with him. Christie Parisien and Jaslyn Smith, ages 17 and 16, respectively, assisted him in the fatal attack. Parisien assisted in luring Grant into a stairwell, where Clements and Smith confronted him. Clements stabbed him to death.
Both, however, stated on interrogation video that they did not expect a killing.
“I didn’t think he meant, like, actual murder,” Parisien told police on October 23, 2021.
“Andre told me that somebody had pissed him off, or that someone was messing with somebody else’s girl or something — it had to do with some type of chick — and that he was upset and that he needed some backup for a fight,” she told police on Oct. 19, 2021, with her mother by her side. “He told me it was just a fight.”
Both pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and conspiracy to commit murder and received 25-year prison sentences.
