17-Year-Old Charged With Killing Pregnant Teen, Unborn Child Also Accused Of Murdering Young Woman

A Florida teen has been charged with murdering a 16-year-old pregnant girl and her unborn child.

The 17-year-old suspect, previously arrested on a slew of gun charges, was also accused of fatally shooting a young woman in the head last year.

Lorenzo Michael Larry was arrested on second-degree murder charges for allegedly killing De’Shayla Ferguson and her unborn child on Oct. 24, Orange County Sheriff’s office announced on its Facebook page Tuesday.

Ferguson was 20 weeks pregnant when she was killed. She was reported missing on Aug. 12 and later found dead with gunshot wounds outside a residence. The deputies reportedly believe Ferguson was shot to death after an argument with Larry.

“This whole community should be grieving for De’Shayla Ferguson and her family and her unborn baby,” Orange County Sheriff John Mina said, as per Law & Crime.

“It has been reported by some that this case may have been related to human trafficking. That’s not true. There is no nexus to human trafficking in this case,” Mina added.

The officials said Larry was also identified as the suspect in the fatal shooting of Jemile Pittman, a 23-year-old woman from Orange county who was found dead in a car on Dec. 8, 2021, according to the outlet.

Larry was arrested in February 2021 on a slew of gun charges, including charges of carrying a concealed firearm. During the arrest, he admitted to murdering Pittman but claimed he shot the woman in self-defense.

The officials submitted an investigative report of the case to the state attorney’s office in July. However, there was no conclusion from the prosecutors.

“We have to acknowledge that someone who amasses this many gun charges and is responsible for the killing of two women and an unborn child needs to be behind bars for a very, very long time for the safety of this community,” Mina said further.

Larry will be charged as an adult in Ferguson’s case.

“I can’t believe I’m making funeral arrangements for my baby. This is not fair. She didn’t deserve this!” Ferguson’s mother, Paula Davis, wrote in a Facebook post expressing her grief over the loss of her daughter and her unborn child.

“De’Shayla was definitely a bright spot. She always brought great energy, and I loved her being around,” former Major League Baseball second baseman Jemile Weeks, who trained Ferguson, told WESH 2 News.