LEXINGTON, S.C. — It was a death for a reason Senior Assistant Solicitor Robby McNair argued was insufficient for taking a child's life. But witnesses said the last thing 15-year-old Zeloni Canyus Ellison did before he died was ask his killer for a cigarette in front of his grandmother's Lexington apartment.
On Wednesday, the man accused of killing Ellison nearly two years ago was convicted after only 30 minutes of deliberation by a Lexington County jury. The Eleventh Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office said 43-year-old Lavon Bernard Julius will spend the rest of his natural life in the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Prosecutors said the victim made the same request of Julius in the past - and this annoyed him. So, when Ellison asked again, late one evening in January 2022, prosecutors said Julius shot him four times. Officials said Julius had been drinking that night and had just walked his daughter to her apartment before the fatal interaction occurred.
At the time, a friend on the phone with Ellison said he heard the teen ask for a cigarette. A man allegedly replied, "Is you good?" before the sound of four shots. The friend told investigators he heard Ellison trying to breathe, followed by the teen's mother, who was in an apartment nearby, say his name.
Prosecutors said Julius told the teen's mother, "Buddy was over there laying on the ground," as he walked around the corner of the unit with her. Witnesses in the case told officials Julius was "calm and nonchalant as if nothing happened," the prosecution added. The suspect allegedly walked behind the apartment building and hid the murder weapon while police were at the scene. It was found the next day and tied to the teen's death.
Police said he gave conflicting statements about where he was when the shooting occurred. They were recorded on an officer's body camera and shown to the jury. Investigators soon arrested Julius and charged him with the teen's murder.
According to a statement released after the case, Senior Assistant Solicitor McNair argued to the jury that he "cannot make sense of something so senseless" and that "it was human nature to want a better reason."
In its statement, the solicitor's office doesn't suggest any other reason was offered for killing Ellison other than his request and Julius' previous dealings with him.
The prosecutor's office said Julius had past convictions that included strong arm robbery, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and assault with intent to kill. He is now in the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections, and his life sentence begins.
Judge Walton McLeod IV presided over the trial.
