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Man pleads ‘no contest’ to murder of star Muskegon Hts. basketball player

Posted at 1:27 PM, Oct 06, 2015
and last updated 2015-10-06 13:29:05-04
Lawson mugshot

Photo from Muskegon County Inmate Lookup

MUSKEGON, Mich. – The suspect accused of killing a Muskegon Heights basketball player in April of 2014 has pleaded no contest to 2nd Degree Murder.

Shundarius Zekia Lawson, 22, made the plea Tuesday morning in Muskegon County Circuit Court.  Lawson’s minimum sentence will be 21 years and he could be sentenced to life in prison on November 3.

Marquis Gresham was shot and killed on April 23, 2014 at the corner of Fifth Street and Rotterdam Avenue in Muskegon Heights. He was a junior on the Muskegon Heights Public School Academy basketball team and was on the way to a sports banquet at the school.  He was considered an innocent bystander by prosecutors.

A second person who was charged in relation to the murder, Ryheim Beasley, had pleaded guilty to 2nd Degree Murder and Lying to Police, but later tried to withdraw his plea. He testified earlier that he drove Lawson to the intersection before the shooting.