Shreveport Man Receives Life Sentence for 2021 Murder

Mar 12, 2024

SHREVEPORT, La. —

23-year-old Deangelo Deshun Whitaker, convicted in late February in conjunction with a second-degree murder committed in May 2021, was handed a mandatory life prison sentence by District Judge Ramona Emanuel in Caddo District Court on Tuesday. Whitaker’s sentence will be served without the possibility of probation, parole, or the suspension of the sentence.

The Crime and Conviction

Whitaker was found guilty of the slaying of 19-year-old Emmanuel Emon King. The murder occurred on May 2, 2021, at the Lake Villa Apartments in the 3700 block of Richmond Avenue. King, along with his eventual killers, were attending a social gathering held at the complex.

As the night progressed, gunshots rang out, causing party attendees to take cover wherever they could. King managed to evade the initial gunfire. However, once the shooting had ceased, Whitaker, along with two other gunmen, cornered King inside the apartment and shot him multiple times. King was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Aftermath

Whitaker and the other gunmen fled the scene following the shooting but were later arrested. The case against Whitaker was championed by assistant district attorneys Kodie K. Smith and Bill Edwards, with defense provided by Katherine Ferguson and Royal Alexander.

Whitaker’s co-defendants, Anderito Smith Jr. and Zykeyland Johnson, pled guilty to lesser charges of manslaughter several days before Whitaker’s conviction. Smith Jr. received a 40-year prison sentence with hard labor, while Johnson was sentenced to 20 years.