After winning two separate $5 million lawsuits against the property owners of Oakwood Terrace and Forest Creek apartment complexes, representatives of the Haggard Law Firm were back in Pensacola Friday to call for increased security.
Haggard Law Firm attorney Adam Finkel stood in front of the property gate of Forest Creek apartments, which is owned by the Texas-based Marquis Group, to demand security changes that he argues could have prevented multiple murders.
“What we found out is that they have no idea what they are doing,” said Finkel of Marquis Group during the press conference. “The president of their company had no idea the hundreds of people who had been injured as victims here. He had no idea that gunshots were a regular sound.
“When we went toe-to-toe and sat and questioned the regional manager Linda Johnson, the person in charge of security at Forest Creek, she said she doesn’t believe in security,” Finkel added. “When we asked her what to put her in the position to be in charge of security and to be trained, we found out that she didn’t even take the security training that the Marquis Group had set out.”
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Why are Haggard Law Firm attorneys at Pensacola’s Forest Creek apartments?
Finkel was outside of Forest Creek since that is where 16-year-old Jeffrey Kennell was murdered by Trenton Dominic Capri Newkirk on Dec. 29, 2020.
Deputies responded to the apartment complex the night of the shooting around 11 pm and found Kennell lying on the ground in front of the building with several gunshot wounds. After being transported to a local hospital, Kennell was pronounced dead.
Newkirk was later indicted and convicted of first-degree premeditated murder by a jury Feb. 17, 2023. He has not been sentenced.
Kennell’s family sued Forest Creek and Marquis Group for Kennell’s death, saying the property owners failed to monitor and repair the broken side gate where Newkirk entered to shoot the teenager. Finkel says they settled the case for $5 million.
Why are Haggard Law Firm attorneys demanding action from Marquis Group?
Finkel says that the Marquis Group makes their money from government subsidies to keep rents low at Forest Creek, and the property owners have no excuse for not spending money on security.
“Give the money back to the people,” he said. “If you actually care, give the money back to the people.”
A lack of security in regards to the broken gate allowed Newkirk to gain access to Forest Creek’s property on the night Kennell was shot.
“Jeffrey Kennell was killed … after criminals walked through those gates that were wide open in the middle of the night,” Finkel said as he pointed to the gates that stood open. “There were absolutely no guards here, no one cared, they shot and killed him and then left.”
Haggard Law Firm wins $5 million suit for Pensacola rapper “Frozonee’s” family
Along with Finkel’s $5 million settlement for the Kennell family, he also settled a suit from the Rivers family after Quanterion Rivers was fatally shot at Oakwood Terrace, another apartment complex owned by the Marquis Group.
The 18-year-old Rivers, whose rap name was “Frozonee,” was killed in June 2020 after Axtavian Harris shot him six times on Oakwood Terrace’s property.
Harris was later convicted of second-degree murder in November 2021 and was sentenced to life in prison. His accomplice, Jaylen Wright, was convicted of manslaughter in September 2021.
After the shooting, the Rivers’ family hired the Haggard Law Firm and sued Oakwood Terrace and The Marquis Group alleging the complex had become a “war zone” due to the poor management and security. A year later, The Marquis Group and Rivers’ family settled for $5 million.
“Simply put, criminals feel safer within those walls than law-abiding citizens,” Finkel said in 2022, referring to Oakwood Terrace. “And why is that? Because criminals know the truth — that the Marquis Group turns a blind eye to this property.”
The NAACP advocates demands action from the Marquis Group
Laura Merritt, an NAACP member who acts as the organization’s activist advocate liaison, joined the press conference, saying Marquis Group had failed both Forest Creek and Oakwood Terrace, and she demanded the Texas-based organization take action.
“My son helped build that property gate, and the gate is more unworking than it is working,” Merritt said as she pointed to the front property gate. “The cameras are the eyes and ears of this property at Forest Creek (and) there’s times the cameras are not operable, so I feel they have a responsibility to make sure the security and cameras are operable at all times.”
Alongside Merritt and Finch stood Rivers’ mother, Shaindel Mason, holding a photo of her son as she wiped tears from her eyes. During the press conference, she made a simple, concise statement — “I miss my son.”
“I miss him,” Mason said. “No money, nothing can bring him back. I really, really miss my son.”
The News Journal reached out to the Marquis Group for comment, but the designated media liaison was not available.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Forest Creek Oakwood Terrace apartments lack security