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Superior Court records show that a Riverside gang member was convicted of murder on Friday, June 14, for shooting a man to death in Riverside in 2020.

A Riverside County jury also found that enhanced sentencing was warranted for the following counts: committing a crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang, active gang membership, and discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury.

Sentencing for Arthur Lawrence Akins III, who turned 53 on Friday, is scheduled for Aug. 9 at the Riverside County Hall of Justice in Riverside.

Cedric Omarr Dempsey, 32, was found dead in a canal area behind Bordwell Park on Martin Luther King Boulevard on Dec. 22, 2020. Police said he died of a gunshot wound to the head. Akins was arrested 17 months later at his Riverside apartment.

Akins was also charged with murder in the June 7, 2020, death of 43-year-old Kevin Henderson of Moreno Valley. That case was later included in the murder trial that ended Friday. The status of charges in the Moreno Valley case was unclear Friday.

Darnell Frederick Tate, 34, of Moreno Valley, is accused of the same crimes as Akins in connection with both murders. His trial is scheduled for August 9. Tate has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains in custody without the possibility of bail.