Labrant Dennis Had a Promising Career, however He's on Death Row
"When I went upstairs and saw my best friend the way you left them, I wouldn’t want anyone to see what I saw," Earl Little advised Labrant Dennis.
By Jennifer TisdaleFeb. 21 2024, Published 3:34 p.m. ET
Earl Little never forgot his very best good friend Marlin Barnes or the night he was murdered along their different good friend Timwanika Lumpkins. Little and Barnes were friends since they had been 8 years outdated, playing football in combination up till faculty at the University of Miami. In truth, they have been roommates, which is how Little stumbled upon the badly crushed our bodies of Lumpkins and Barnes on the evening of April 13, 1996.
Little would later say, "When I went upstairs and saw my best friend the way you left them, I wouldn’t want anyone to see what I saw," in keeping with the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Little used to be addressing Labrant Dennis, Lumpkins's ex-boyfriend and the father of her kid. He was eventually arrested for those heinous crimes and used to be waiting to be sentenced when Little spoke to him. Where is Labrant Dennis now? Here's what we all know.
Where is Labrant Dennis now? He's on death row.
According to the Commission on Capital Cases in Florida, Dennis was once passed two death sentences for the murders of Barnes and Lumpkins. As of the time of this writing, the Florida Department of Corrections lists him as "out of department custody by court order," because of this he may well be interesting his case.
Dennis was sentenced in February 1999 and all through court lawsuits, he used to be "berated by his victims’ families before a judge sentenced him to die in Florida’s electric chair," stated the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Barnes's mother, Charlie Postell, screamed at Dennis that she sought after his "death to be 22 times as horrific as Marlin’s was. Marlin is more of a man than you will ever be, even in death."
Lumpkins' father used to be equally as grief-stricken and stuffed with rage. "Some people may say they forgive you, but I am not in the forgiving business," he said. The households of Lumpkins and Barnes yelled at Dennis for almost an hour, reputedly not able to stop. As they sobbed uncontrollably, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Manny Crespo brought up the truth that Lumpkins aroused from sleep while Barnes was being killed. "One can only imagine the thoughts of fear, panic, and desperation that ran through her mind at the time knowing her own death was certain," he said.
Labrant Dennis killed Marlin Barnes and Timwanika Lumpkins in a jealous rage.
On April 13, 1996, simply prior to crack of dawn, Little attempted opening the door to the campus rental he shared with Barnes handiest to seek out one thing was once propped up towards it. When he used to be in a position to transport it sufficient to stay his head through the door, what Little saw would haunt him forever. The bloodied frame of Barnes was once on the floor. "He turned his head a little to try to look at me and he had no face," said Little to The Plain Dealer (by way of Cleveland.com) in July 2001.
Panicked, Little ran to a neighbor's home and banged on their door. He was screaming at them to call the police as a result of "someone killed Marlin." When law enforcement arrived, Little heard one in every of them say there used to be a homicide. He collapsed then overheard some other officer say there was a second individual in the rental. "They brought a girl downstairs, but when they showed her to me, I was in such shock that I couldn't bring out her name at first." It was once 22-year-old Timwanika Lumpkins.
A few weeks later on May 1, police arrested Dennis, then 23, and "charged him with two counts of first-degree murder," in line with United Press International. Dennis and Lumpkins dated for 4 years and shared a 3-year-old daughter. Initially, he instructed police he used to be at a nightclub the evening of the murders but "after conducting more than 100 interviews, police said they found the alibi was not substantiated," mentioned the outlet. Authorities also located the shotgun used to beat Barnes and Lumpkins.
After Dennis was once sentenced, Little would cross on to play for a few NFL groups. In July 2001, Little used to be with the Cleveland Browns when he used to be profiled in The Plain Dealer. He talked about how heartbreaking it was once returning to football after shedding Barnes. However, each and every time he stepped on the sector he knew Barnes was once with him. Sticking with the game they liked so much is simply what his buddy would have sought after.
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