Christopher Lane, an Australian baseball player who had come to America on scholarship to play the sport he loved, was senselessly murdered and found dead Friday in Duncan, OK while visiting with his girlfriend.
The culprits: three teenagers (ages 15, 16, and 17) who had no rationale or motivation other than the fact that they thought it would be fun to do. The New York Post and other outlets have published the photos and names of teens. (UPDATE: two teens, James Edwards and Chancey Luna, were charged with first-degree murder. Another was reportedly charged with being an accessory after the fact and using a vehicle to facilitate the discharge of a weapon)
But their parents yesterday protested their innocence.
Jennifer Luna, whose son is suspected of firing the fatal shot, claimed her son was at home saying: “My son is not that way. My son is a good kid.”
“They saw Christopher go by, and one of them said: ‘There’s ourtarget,'” Duncan Police Chief Danny Ford said. “The boy who has talked to us said: ‘We were boredand didn’t have anything to do, so we decided to kill somebody.'”
“They followed him in the car to that area, shot him in the back and drove off,” Ford added.
Lane was heading into his senior year at East Central University, where he started 14 games as a catcher last season. “He was an absolute joy to coach,” said baseball coach Dino Rosato in astatement. “Chris was an extremely well-respectedteammate. … He set a great example for all of his teammates, but moreimportantly for the younger players. He was a mature student-athlete whohis teammates could look to for advice and support.”
The boys reportedly told police that the act was “for the fun of it.” They will be in court on Tuesday afternoon, and it is unclear whether they will be tried as adults or juveniles.
Tony Lee contributed to this article
This article has been updated to include new information regarding the teens who were charged with first-degree murder
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