Two teen accused of ‘thrill killing’ an Australian athlete plead not guilty

Two teens have been accused of “thrill killing” and are facing first-degree murder charges for the death of an Australian student athlete.

CNN reports that the 23-year-old victim Christopher Lane was entering his senior year at East Central University and he had a baseball scholarship.

The two teens behind the murder are Chancey Allen Luna, 16, and Michael Dewayne, 18. James Francis Edwards, Jr was also involved with the murder of Lane. Once the three teenagers were arrested they were charged as adults.

The New York Daily News added that Duncan Police Chief Dan Ford said that after the vicious attack, said the older teen told authorities that the trio was "bored" and decided to kill for the "fun of it."

The cause of Lane’s death was a result of a “penetrating gunshot wound to the back." Lane was jogging around his girlfriend’s house when he was shot from behind. The autopsy shows that Lane was shot by a 22-caliber handgun. Police found bullets of a 22-caliber in the car the teens used to get away. The bullet cause immense damage as it collapsed both his lungs, fractured his ribs and pierced is aorta.

Lane’s funeral was a private ceremony. His mother Donna Lane, and girlfriend, Sarah Harper, placed important memorabilia his coffin, which included his baptismal shawl and school uniforms. Members of the Melbourne-based Essendon Baseball Club formed a honored Lane’s death by standing outside the church.