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Jackson County man convicted of double murder seeking new trial

Posted at 8:41 AM, Mar 19, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-19 08:41:02-04

JACKSON, Mich. — A Jackson County man convicted of killing two teens on his property wants a new trial.

MLive reports Tracy Lawrence's attorney submitted a request for a new trial on Friday, Mar. 15.

Lawrence was sentenced to 19 to 40 years in prison for the 2016 deaths of Matthew McMillen and Hunter Lentz.

A jury convicted Lawrence of second-degree murder and one count of felony firearm on July 24, 2018.

Lentz and McMillen, who were 18 at the time, were shot by Lawrence on June 8, 2016 for breaking into a truck on his property.

Police say Lentz and McMillen were suspected in a string of break-ins and larcenies during that time.

Lawrence's attorneys say he did not get a fair trial and the teens were looked at by jurors as just trespassers on his property.

A Jackson County judge is reviewing the request for a new trial and is scheduled to issue a ruling sometime in April.