GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Editor's note: The video above is from a previous web story
A 17-year-old was sentenced to life after a Gwinnett County jury found him guilty in the killing of two teens shot in a park near Norris Lake back in 2022.
Le’Quan Dempsey was found guilty of the murders of John Pendrak and Aiden Reynolds. The pair were shot and killed on July 21, 2022, after Dempsey contacted them through social media to buy marijuana, according to a release.
Dempsey and another person met up with the two at Sunset Beach in the Norris Lake neighborhood. Instead of exchanging the drugs, Dempsey and another fired 15 rounds at Pendrak and Reynolds.
Pendrak, 17, was shot at least nine times, while Reynolds, 19, was shot five times. Both were later found dead by police.
Reynold's mother, Debra McCoy, spoke with 11Alive back in 2022. She said the teens were best friends and that this was one of the hardest things a parent could go through.
"My baby’s gone, my baby’s not here anymore," McCoy said. "He didn’t have a chance to freaking grow up and be whatever wonderful thing he was gonna be."
Investigators later tracked down Dempsey to a home near Amy Road, where the two teens were killed. Police determined that Dempsey’s social media account was used to contact the two about the possible drug purchase.
While Dempsey denied involvement, his social media history and eyewitness statements contradicted this claim. A warrant was later signed for his arrest.
Dempsey was 16 years old at the time.
On April 24, 2023, a jury found him guilty of several counts, including:
- Four counts of felony murder
- Two counts of armed robbery
- Two counts of aggravated assault
- Two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony
The teen was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.