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Jury takes one day to render murder conviction
By J. David Barron, dbarron@starlocalnews.com
Keven Alvino Young was sentenced to life in prison and was issued a $10,000 fine, the maximum allowed by law, Thursday after he was convicted of a Denton County murder.
Young was on trial for the shooting death of 34-year-old Desmond Pope, of Dallas. Young, 33, reportedly showed up uninvited at the home of his former girlfriend. He was upset she hadn't returned his call. When Young arrived at the residence in the 2200 block of Lockwood Drive in Carrollton, he found Pope. Reports from Carrollton Police state Young started yelling at Pope when the latter tried to leave. Police believe that is when Young shot Pope in the head, casually walking away saying, “He's dead.”
Young drove off after the murder in a SUV later found abandoned on George Bush Turnpike at Marsh Lane, police said. Following a two-day search, Young turned himself into the Denton County Sheriff's Office, where he was incarcerated on a $500,000 bond.
Reports are the two men didn't know each other and that Pope was not in a relationship with Young's ex.
Young was represented by court-appointed attorney Carlton Hughes, from Lewisville. Efforts to reach Hughes were unsuccessful.
"We are pleased with the jury verdict,” said Jamie Beck, assistant district attorney. “Keven Young is a true threat to society, and we are glad that he will not live amongst us for a very long time."
When asked why the state didn't seek the death penalty after Young was indicted on capital murder, Beck said there were a number of factors that dictated the decision.
“It [the death penalty] wasn't seriously considered because it just wasn't in the realm of possibilities,” she said. “When the state seeks death, the only time we consider it is when the issue of guilt is not a question, not just beyond [that of] a reasonable doubt.
“Of the many capital murder trials that we've had in the last six or seven years, we've only had three cases where we even contemplated the death sentence,” Beck said.
Beck added the expense of prosecuting for the death penalty is several times that of a non-capital murder trial, and that expense wasn't justified in the state's determination regarding Young's case.
The jury was comprised of five white men, five white women, one Asian-American man and one African-American woman. Only one other African-American was in the jury pool, Beck said.
Young is an African-American, as was Pope.
Young was on trial for the shooting death of 34-year-old Desmond Pope, of Dallas. Young, 33, reportedly showed up uninvited at the home of his former girlfriend. He was upset she hadn't returned his call. When Young arrived at the residence in the 2200 block of Lockwood Drive in Carrollton, he found Pope. Reports from Carrollton Police state Young started yelling at Pope when the latter tried to leave. Police believe that is when Young shot Pope in the head, casually walking away saying, “He's dead.”
Young drove off after the murder in a SUV later found abandoned on George Bush Turnpike at Marsh Lane, police said. Following a two-day search, Young turned himself into the Denton County Sheriff's Office, where he was incarcerated on a $500,000 bond.
Reports are the two men didn't know each other and that Pope was not in a relationship with Young's ex.
Young was represented by court-appointed attorney Carlton Hughes, from Lewisville. Efforts to reach Hughes were unsuccessful.
"We are pleased with the jury verdict,” said Jamie Beck, assistant district attorney. “Keven Young is a true threat to society, and we are glad that he will not live amongst us for a very long time."
When asked why the state didn't seek the death penalty after Young was indicted on capital murder, Beck said there were a number of factors that dictated the decision.
“It [the death penalty] wasn't seriously considered because it just wasn't in the realm of possibilities,” she said. “When the state seeks death, the only time we consider it is when the issue of guilt is not a question, not just beyond [that of] a reasonable doubt.
“Of the many capital murder trials that we've had in the last six or seven years, we've only had three cases where we even contemplated the death sentence,” Beck said.
Beck added the expense of prosecuting for the death penalty is several times that of a non-capital murder trial, and that expense wasn't justified in the state's determination regarding Young's case.
The jury was comprised of five white men, five white women, one Asian-American man and one African-American woman. Only one other African-American was in the jury pool, Beck said.
Young is an African-American, as was Pope.
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