A grief-stricken mother from Houston, Dahlia Mack, confronted the woman responsible for luring her teenage son, Delindsey Mack, into a deadly ambush. During a victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing of Keona Samireal Mouton, Dahlia expressed her profound pain and anger, holding nothing back as she faced the person who played a pivotal role in her son’s tragic death.
“I hate you. Look at me! You disgust me. You should have been flushed rather than birthed,” Dahlia Mack told Mouton, as reported by KHOU 11. Her words were filled with palpable anguish as she continued, “Don’t you dare cry. Those shackles on your ankles, that’s Delindsey Mack,” a powerful statement that echoed through the courtroom while the rest of the Mack family, overwhelmed with emotion, kept their heads down.
Delindsey Mack, a high school senior with a love for football, was brutally murdered in 2018 in a premeditated attack that devastated his family. Mouton, who was only 16 at the time, had convinced Delindsey to meet her after school on November 13, 2018, under the guise of a romantic encounter. Instead, she led him into a deadly trap where he was ambushed and shot seven times by two gunmen.
Mouton, now 22, was sentenced to 23 years in prison after being tried as an adult. She was the third person to be convicted in connection with Delindsey’s murder. Kendrick Johnson, a known gang member, was the first to face justice, receiving a life sentence in 2021 for his role in the killing. Johnson, implicated in six other murders, was described by prosecutors as someone striving for “celebrity status in the gang world by killing as many people as possible,” according to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
Another accomplice, Dave’on Thomas, who acted as the getaway driver, was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2023. Despite these convictions, one of the gunmen involved in the shooting remains at large, leaving Delindsey’s family with an unsettling sense of unfinished justice.
During the trial, prosecutors presented incriminating text messages that Mouton had deleted, revealing her role in orchestrating the murder. These messages were crucial in proving that Mouton had intentionally lured Delindsey into the ambush, betraying the trust of someone who saw her as a friend and potential romantic interest.
“Delindsey Mack’s parents put him in the one place that children should be safe, but Keona Mouton pulled all the strings to make his murder happen,” Assistant District Attorney Sarah Seely remarked, highlighting the deep betrayal and calculated nature of the crime.
The case also underscored the dangers of social media. Prosecutors noted that Delindsey had adopted a gangster persona online, far removed from his real-life character, which may have contributed to his being targeted by gang members.
As Mouton begins her 23-year sentence, she will be eligible for parole after serving half of her term. Meanwhile, Delindsey’s family continues to grapple with the loss of a young life caught in a web of violence and betrayal.