Georgians Calls For Justice After Teen Left Barely Breathing At Hospital

At the hospital on March 21, Lehrkamp’s father, Mark Lehrkamp, told police that his son had been at a friend’s, whose name was redacted from the report, and that this was not the first time he returned from the friend’s house with injuries. Four days prior, Trenton came home covered in WD-40, vomit, paint, glue, egg yolk, and spray paint, his father said. And two weeks before that, he had to take his son to the ER to get stitches for a laceration above his left eye.

“He never returns home normal,” Mark said, according to the report.

He told police his son would go to that person’s house because he had no other friends, and when he was there, he thought he was accepted and with people who liked him. Mark said he believed his son might feel that they look up to him because they were younger, according to the report. But for the same reason, Mark didn’t think his son would fight back or “defend himself” against those kids, because he knew he could get in trouble for hurting them.

According to the report, Mark has other photos and videos of previous incidents in which his son came home from the friend’s house “hurt or covered in objects,” as well as evidence that he was at that residence the night he was dropped off at the hospital. Trenton’s sister also provided police with a picture of a Snapchat message she received that night, saying, “Nigga Omg I know you’re sick of hearing it but like I wasn’t there but like Trenton is fucking dying apparently.”

She also gave police a voice message she received while she was on her way to the hospital from someone “stating what had happened to Trenton and that [REDACTED] had told [REDACTED] what they did.”

A representative for Lehrkamp’s family declined to talk to BuzzFeed News but said they are cooperating with the investigation and “trusting the process.” A GoFundMe page set up for the family accuses the juveniles involved in the March 21 incident of torture and assault, saying that the abuse went on “for hours.” When he was left at the hospital, Lehrkamp was “deemed inconclusive to life” and battled fevers and a lung infection, according to the page. He’s now breathing on his own and receiving treatment at an out-of-state facility.

“I’m alive and doing well, and I’m recovering,” Lehrkamp said in an audio message shared with local reporters earlier this week. “Just know it’s going to be a long time for me to get over this, through the trauma. But one day, hopefully within the next few months or so, I might be back. But justice will be served.”