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Teen gets 'juvenile life' for 2023 killing of classmate at high school in St. Helena Parish
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GREENSBURG - A teenager pleaded guilty Monday to killing a high school classmate and was sentenced to "juvenile life," meaning he will be incarcerated until age 21.
WBRZ was the only television station in the courtroom as Christopher Williams, who is now 16, admitted to killing 16-year-old Vernon Gordon Jr.
Williams was also accused of injuring two other classmates with a Glock handgun with an extended magazine in September 2023 at St. Helena College & Career Academy.
"No amount of time will bring our son back. Losing my son, the way he got killed at the school, which is supposed to be a safe place," his father, Vernon Gordon Sr., said.
Vernon Gordon Jr., known as V.J., was killed at the scene; his family said he was shot seven times.
"We just never expected something like this," his mother, Marquelle Gordon, said.
Detectives looked into whether bullying may have played a role in the violence.
“It was nothing that was ever proven; it was something they say without putting any thought into it, without investigating anything," Marquelle said.
V.J.'s parents said their son was a good kid with a bright future.
"Played two sports at the school, upcoming football player, starting the football season, everything was going fine, so to speak, and this happened. He was an honor roll student, he was a good kid," Gordon Sr. said.
On Monday, Williams pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder. He was sentenced to "juvenile life," meaning he will remain incarcerated until the age of 21.
"The facts were not addressed, we felt like we had to do a plea deal because of the nature of the system," Gordon Sr. said. “No amount of time will reflect my son's life. Whether it's five years, nine years, 30 years."
The Gordons also filed a civil lawsuit against the St. Helena Parish School Board and Superintendent Kelli Joseph, alleging there wasn't enough security on the campus at the time of the killing.
Joseph declined to comment due to pending litigation.
The family’s attorney, Jason M. Baer, provided this statement:
"Today's plea deal was the first step in the Gordons' pursuit of justice for their son, V.J. The family will now turn to the civil justice system to seek accountability from all parties that bear responsibility for the circumstances that led to this tragic loss. This tragedy was preventable, and the Gordons believe the answers that are divulged through the discovery process may help prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.”
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