RIDGELAND, Miss. (WJTV) – A Canton teen was sentenced to 40 years in prison after he pled guilty to a 2021 murder that happened outside of the Renaissance at Colony Park in Ridgeland.

On Wednesday, Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced that Marcus Luckett, Jr. was sentenced for the 2021 murder of Lakender Francis.

On April 24, 2021, prosecutors said Luckett, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, followed a vehicle from Canton into Ridgeland on Interstate 55. While passing the mall, Luckett fired shots at the vehicle, striking and killing Francis, 16, and wounding Kaiden Thomas, 19.

During the investigation, authorities discovered that there was an ongoing dispute between Luckett and the victim, including an incident a month prior in which Luckett himself was shot. Police believed that was the motive for the homicide.

Luckett pled guilty to one count of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to serve 40 years to be released after serving the first 28 years without the possibility of parole or early release. Luckett will be on five years of supervised probation upon his release.