Kendall Williams Jr. was 18 and a senior at Destrehan High School when he was found dead under a gazebo in a New Sarpy park on the evening of May 4, 2016. He had suffered a single gunshot wound to the head and was days away from graduating when his life was taken.

Within hours of the discovery, 23-year-old Javon D. Wells of New Sarpy was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Authorities said an argument preceded the shooting and that witnesses, including relatives of Wells, identified him as the shooter; Wells denied knowing Kendall or being at the scene. A three-day trial in May 2017 ended with a St. Charles Parish jury finding Wells guilty of second-degree murder; the conviction carries a mandatory life sentence. Kendall’s mother testified about his love of cars and his excitement for graduation, and a rose was placed on an empty chair at the Destrehan ceremony in his memory.