Strong Murder Verdict
By: Alex Hale
Updated: June 4, 2009
Almost a year after Michael French was shot and killed in Strong,
A fist fight turned shooting death happened just after midnight on June 9th of 2008.
French was parked at the intersection of First and
Lovett saw that the street was blocked and got into an argument with French.
Clark Burton of the Union County Sheriff’s Department showed us the area where the argument took place, "This is area investigators found Mr. French’s body the night of the shooting. When we arrived he was laying right by this tree. Somewhere in this area is where we found the spent nine millimeter casings that were recovered. The cars were parked over here. One here and one there."
A jury convicted Lovett of second degree murder Wednesday.
Lovett's lawyer tried to convince the jury that French started the argument, so the killing was self defense. The jury didn't buy it.
Michael’s mother, Voniece French said, "Mikey was not aggressive at all he was a very soft hearted gentle person. Now he would not be bullied around. He would not come at someone for no reason at all."
Voniece French thanked the prosecutors for getting the conviction, but knows nothing will bring back her son.
"Mikey will be greatly missed, greatly, greatly. His friends miss him so much so many
of them were in trial. His family will too, we talk about him all the time and laugh and talk about him cause he was such a joy and he's going to be very missed."
Clark Burton of the Union County Sheriffs Department told NBC 10 News that the worst part of this is that two families lost someone that night; one was buried and one is going to prison.
