Jakwan Green will spend the rest of his life in prison for the 2011 murder of a Lancaster city mother of four.

At 9:15 a.m. Thursday, Lancaster County Judge David Ashworth found the 23-year-old Green guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder.

Green dipped his head, but said nothing, as Ashworth relayed his verdict following the three-day nonjury trial. He had a quick chat with his attorneys before being escorted out of the room by deputy sheriffs.

Diana Spencer, 33, was killed April 16, 2011, apparently caught up in a gang feud between local Bloods and Latin Kings members, according to testimony.

Spencer, who was dating a Latin King, according to testimony, was shot three times in the chest after coming to her front door to answer a knock.

Green had knocked on the door to lure Spencer from her bedroom; Oscar Martinez, Green's fellow member of the Bloods, then opened fire. Martinez already has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.

Ashworth will formally order sentence for Green in coming months, but his only option by law is life in prison.

Defense lawyers had argued that Green was a "pup" trying to earn status in the gang by obeying a leader's order to knock on the door. Green didn't know a killing was planned, his attorneys argued.

The case against the alleged leader, Christopher Lassitter, is pending.

Prosecutors claimed Green knew full well of the plan and even prepared to do the shooting himself if Martinez "didn't have the (nerve)."

Ashworth agreed with that argument, finding that Spencer's killing was intentional and planned. Ashworth said he gave "careful consideration" to the evidence before deciding on first-degree murder.

Testimony concluded Wednesday.

Numerous officers from Lancaster city police, along with personnel from the district attorney's office, sat in for the verdict.

Several deputy sheriffs and a K-9 officer watched over Green, who sat through the short hearing without making a sound. He jotted notes and paid close attention throughout the trial.

After the verdict, First Assistant District Attorney Christopher Larsen credited Lancaster city police for a thorough investigation, led by Detective Kurt Miller.

"Justice has been served," Larsen said afterward, "and I hope this verdict is at least a small measure of comfort to the family, especially the children of Diana Spencer, who, although they can not be with their mother, are at least in the custody of loving individuals."

Assistant District Attorney Robert Smulktis assisted in prosecuting the case. The prosecutors called several witnesses, including a woman who rode with Green and Martinez in the car to and from the crime scene. That woman claimed Green made statements before and after the crime that suggested he knew the plan was to kill.

"While I regret and disagree with the conclusion of the fact finder in this matter, I still respect the verdict and the process that went into rendering that decision," defense lawyer Cory Miller said afterward.

"It is unspeakably sad how one evening in a person's life can change one's fate forever. Whether it be Ms. Spencer or Mr. Green, April 16, 2011, changed their lives and that of their families for years to come."
bhambright@lnpnews.com