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Man accused of killing former officer's son turns down plea deal

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man accused of killing a Kannapolis middle school student pleaded not guilty in court Thursday morning.

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Mangasha Clark's court appearance, wherein he turned down a plea deal, lasted only a few minutes.

His attorney told the court that Clark would plead not guilty in the 2017 murder of 14-year-old Anthony Frazier, which stunned the community.

Clark walked into the courtroom around 10 a.m. in shackles and took his place next to his attorney, showing no emotion as the not guilty plea was announced.

[PAST COVERAGE: Community, family remember slain 14-year-old Kannapolis boy]

Police said Clark shot and killed Frazier as the boy was visiting his aunt’s home on Finchley Road in east Charlotte in January of 2017.

The case resonated in the community because of Frazier’s age and because his father was a Kannapolis police officer at the time.

Anthony Frazier, killed Jan. 3

The teen’s murder went unsolved until police finally arrested Clark and a second suspect last April.

Sources tell Channel 9 that Clark was the one who fired the fatal shots.

The prosecutor announced that Clark had been offered a chance to plead guilty and spend 25 years in prison, but he turned that offer down and will instead go to trial.

If convicted, he could face life in prison.

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