Trial ends with man pleading guilty to 2017 killing of officer’s 14-year-old son in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A man has pleaded guilty to his role in the January 2017 murder of 14-year-old Anthony Frazier in Charlotte.

According to Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather III, 24-year-old Mangasha Dion Clark, Jr., entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder on Wednesday in the middle of his trial, which started June 6.

Mangasha Dion Clark, Jr. entered a guilty plea for his role in the 2017 killing of a... — Mangasha Dion Clark, Jr. entered a guilty plea for his role in the 2017 killing of a 14-year-old Kannapolis boy.(Source: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department)

Clark, who was initially charged with first-degree murder, made the decision during the presentation of the state’s evidence, a news release stated. Judge W. Robert Bell then sentenced him to 150 to 192 months in prison.

Charges remain pending against Reginald Lee Edmonds, who is also charged in the teen’s death, according to prosecutors.

Frazier was shot on Finchley Drive in east Charlotte while in a vehicle with family members he was visiting on Jan. 2, 2017.

Police said Frazier and his relatives were returning from a birthday celebration and two people were in a bush near the home when the vehicle pulled up.

Those individuals ran away but fired as they did, hitting Frazier. He died at Carolinas Medical Center the next day, authorities said.

Frazier attended Kannapolis Middle School and was known as a standout student and athlete. He was also in the Students Taking A Right Stand (STARS) program, which works with students in Cabarrus County and Kannapolis city schools and focuses on strengthening leadership skills and community engagement.

His father, Daniel Frazier, was a police officer with the City of Kannapolis at the time of his son’s death.