Lorenzo Flowers, who was killed in a 2007 dice game robbery, had a 3-year-old son.

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

Lorenzo Flowers, who was shot dead in a dice game robbery in 2007, had a 3-year-old son and was planning on purchasing a house and settling down, his grandmother told the Marion County Informer this afternoon. Flowers was only 23 when his life ended in bloodshed in a private game room on Highway 13 South.

This week, Carlos Varnado, who took part in the holdup that Flowers was killed in, was found guilty on six counts of armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Flowers’ grandmother, Nellie Holmes of Expose, said she wishes the Marion County District Attorney’s Office would not have dropped the capital murder charge against Varnado.

But in the end, Holmes said she was “satisfied” with the outcome of the case. She does not have an opinion on how many years Varnado should be put in prison when he is sentenced next month, saying, “It’s not up to me to judge him. I feel sorry for him because he’s young and it’s going to take most of his life away. I’m satisfied with whatever time they give him.”

Holmes said she feels sorry for Varnado’s mother. “She didn’t have anything to do with it,” Holmes said.

Flowers “was such a good boy and at the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Holmes. “He was a kind person.”

Flowers' grandmother, Nellie Holmes, said she wishes the robbers could have been convicted of capital murder.

Hours before the shooting, Holmes spoke with Flowers, who was talking about how he wanted to build a house, raise his baby and settle down. A few hours later, Holmes received a call from Flowers’ younger brother, who said he had died. She could not believe it because she had just talked to him, so she went to Marion General Hospital where Flowers’ siblings were.

Throughout the three-day trial this week, Holmes sat in the back listening to the testimony even though, “It wasn’t easy.”

Now that the trial is over, Holmes said, “I already feel better.”

Ever since Flowers was a baby his grandmother raised him because his mother, who Holmes said was schizophrenic, died when he was little.

Holmes said Flowers, who worked offshore, would drink a little beer, but she never saw him drunk and he did not use drugs.

Flowers was at the dice game on Highway 13 South looking for his older brother, David Holmes. Now David Holmes blames himself for his brother’s murder.

The Marion County District Attorney’s Office dropped the capital murder charge against Varnado, because the actual triggerman in the crime was Joshua Moore, who was convicted of manslaughter and armed robbery in October.

Carlos Varnado is escorted out of the Marion County Courthouse tonight after a jury found him guilty on six counts of armed robbery.

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

 A jury found Carlos Varnado of Columbia guilty of six counts of armed robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery on Wednesday in Marion County Circuit Court for the March 18, 2007 dice game holdup that led to the death of 23-year-old Lorenzo Flowers.

Varnado was in tears as he was led out of the courthouse after the verdict, and he told the Marion County Informer that he felt like he did not get a fair trial. The Informer also asked Varnado if there was anything he wanted to say to Flowers’ family, and Varnado said, “I’m sorry for what happened.”

Flowers’ family filled the back section of the courtroom but remained quiet as the verdict was read.

Varnado said he had no comment when the Informer asked him if he was present during the robbery, which occurred at a game room at a residence on Highway 13 South.

After the jury handed down the verdict, Assistant District Attorney Michael Horan told the Marion County Informer, “I appreciate the jury’s hard work and feel the verdict is certainly supported by the substantial amount of evidence we had.”

Varnado’s attorney Matt Baldridge of Jackson said he anticipates that the case will be appealed.

The Honorable Prentiss Harrell, who presided over Varnado’s trial, will sentence him Feb. 19 in Lamar County Circuit Court.

The prosecution’s key piece of evidence was the fact that Varnado made a videotaped confession the day after the robbery and told investigators where they could find the gun that was used to kill Flowers. The gun was buried at Joshua Moore’s stepfather’s residence on Royster Lane, and the State Crime Lab matched the bullet that was pulled from Flowers’ body to the .380 handgun.

Moore was found guilty in October on numerous counts of armed robbery and a count of manslaughter as he was the triggerman in Flowers’ death.

If Varnado was not involved in the robbery, he would not have known where the gun was hidden, Assistant District Attorney Morris Sweatt argued.

Varnado’s attorney, Baldridge, told the jury that there was not enough evidence to return a guilty verdict on Varnado.

Baldridge noted that three of the robbery victims were uncertain that it was Varnado who robbed them because the perpetrators were wearing stockings over their faces.

Baldridge said in his closing arguments that he did not know why Varnado would confess to a crime he did not commit. Law enforcement officers did a poor job of investigating the crime scene, Baldridge added. Law enforcement did not investigate a call that was received by a Marion County Sheriff’s Office investigator from an anonymous black male who stated that Lorenzo Flowers had been murdered by a man nicknamed “Munt,” Baldridge said.

The investigator received the call a year after the crime while Varnado was incarcerated. The person who made the call said he did not know “Munt’s” real name.

Baldridge questioned whether the victims of the robbery would have been able to remember accurately what happened because some of them were drinking and smoking marijuana the night of the robbery.

With all the commotion going on during the course of the robbery with the perpetrators firing shots and yelling, the victims would have been unable to remember accurately what the robbers looked like, Baldridge added.

Varnado is being blamed for the crime because many of the people who were present during the robbery are related to Flowers and want someone held accountable for his death, the defense added.

Baldridge is disappointed in the jury’s verdict but said the case was not a total loss for Varnado. The indictment originally had 11 counts, with one of them being a capital murder charge. The count of capital murder and three counts of armed robbery were dropped.

“Doing defense work we take what we can get,” said Baldridge. “Any day we get a capital murder charge out of the indictment we’re thankful for that.”

Baldridge added that Varnado was originally looking at the death penalty and now cannot even be sentenced to life in prison.

Carlos Varnado is led out of the courthouse by jail officials.

  By Josh Mitchell Informer Publisher

The Marion County District Attorney’s Office has dropped the capital murder charge against Carlos Varnado whose trial began today in Circuit Court.

However, Varnado, 23 of Columbia, will still be tried on numerous counts of armed robbery for allegedly taking part in the March 18, 2007 holdup of a dice game.

Lorenzo Flowers, 23, was killed in the robbery, and Joshua Moore, the triggerman, was found guilty of manslaughter and six counts of armed robbery in October.

Varnado allegedly took part in the robbery with Moore. Jury selection took place today in Varnado’s trial, which is expected to conclude this week.

As Varnado was led out of the courthouse today by jail officials, he told the Marion County Informer that he is “innocent” and that an investigation needs to be conducted into the county court system.