LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — A pizza delivery man was murdered for pizza, not money. That’s what a Gwinnett County Police Detective testified to in a preliminary court hearing Friday.
Jermaine Young, 21, and Reginald Lofton, a 14-year-old who is charged as an adult, were ordered to be bound over to Superior Court for a murder trial.
Detective Matthew Kenck testified that police have yet to determine whether Young or Lofton shot and killed 28-year-old Shane Varnadore. Kenck said both suspects blame the other for the shooting that happened on March 1.
The two suspects sat in Gwinnett County Magistrate Court, in stark contrast to what anyone would have expected. Young appeared visibly shaken as Detective Kenck recounted how Varnadore was shot and killed.
Lofton, a mere child, never flinched, appearing stoic and nonplussed while the detective described what led police to their arrest. It was a food order found on the ground near Shane Varnadore's body and it had a phone number on it that was traced to the apartment where the suspects lived.
Kenck said police got a warrant and searched the apartment.
“In plain view we saw one of the pizza boxes associated with this food order that was in the apartment in plain view,” Detective Kenck said.
Kenck said it appeared that people were quickly hiding evidence when the SWAT team served the warrant. He said the handgun used to kill Varnadore was found in a pancake box that was hidden behind a washer and dryer.
Teresa Varnadore, the victim’s mother, sat in the courtroom as the detective explained why her son was killed.
“Mr. Varnadore was found to have some cash in his pocket, I think $62, if I'm not mistaken,” Detective Kenck said. “At the time, it appeared that all that had been stolen was the pizza.”
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