A man accused of fatally shooting a former University of Oklahoma football player in downtown Dallas last year is on the run after cutting off his ankle monitor, according to court records obtained by The Dallas Morning News. Antwan Franklin, 23, had removed the court-ordered monitor on June 27, leading to the issuance of an arrest warrant. The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the warrant’s status. Franklin’s trial, initially slated for the following week, has been postponed as authorities continue their search for him. Once he is apprehended, the trial will be rescheduled.
Franklin had posted bail of $250,000 about a month after his arrest in July 2022, but his bail will now be set at $1 million. He was ordered to wear the ankle monitor as a condition of bond, according to court records. Franklin is one of three individuals facing capital murder charges in the killing of 25-year-old Du’Vonta Lampkin. The other suspects are John Williams, 32, and Erick Garcia, 25.
Police responded to an apartment in downtown Dallas on May 5, 2022, where they discovered Lampkin’s body with a gunshot wound to the chest. Lampkin had been staying in the apartment, which was rented via Airbnb, while waiting to move into a new residence. Security camera footage showed Franklin and Lampkin outside the apartment around 1:40 a.m., with Franklin signaling Garcia and another individual to approach while Lampkin was in his car and unable to see them. The affidavit stated that Garcia and the other person subsequently searched for Lampkin’s unit, hid in a stairwell, and then ran up behind Lampkin as he exited the elevator. Moments later, Garcia was seen rushing back to the stairwell with Lampkin’s backpack, which was known to contain a significant amount of money.
The affidavit also included Instagram messages in which Franklin instructed Garcia to rob Lampkin, claiming he was intoxicated and defenseless. Franklin assured Garcia that Lampkin was unarmed and friendly. At around 2 a.m., Garcia informed Franklin that he was waiting for Lampkin in the stairwell, to which Franklin replied, Don’t do it until he’s at the door.
Du’Vonta Lampkin was a defensive tackle for the Oklahoma Sooners from 2015 to 2017. He later signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
This incident follows a recent heightened focus on the use of ankle monitors in Texas. In September 2021, new legislation criminalized tampering with such devices. The law was enacted after several individuals wearing ankle monitors were implicated in Dallas homicides. Some notable cases involve parolee Nestor Hernandez, who, after removing his monitor, fatally shot two hospital workers, and parolee Zeric Jackson, who is accused of killing Brian Dillard. Another case involved Tyrese Simmons, who tampered with his ankle monitor in connection with the 2019 murder of 9-year-old Brandoniya Bennett. Simmons was apprehended in Tulsa after a standoff.
As authorities intensify efforts to locate Antwan Franklin, the trial for the killing of Du’Vonta Lampkin remains on hold. The Dallas community eagerly awaits Franklin’s capture and the subsequent rescheduling of his trial.
