James Austin, 19-year-old son of former Trenton police detective Luddie Austin, was remembered Thursday after the second man was convicted in his killing
TRENTON - On the day of his senior prom, James Austin requested a red carpet and paparazzi.
He got a bath rug and a chorus of family members with cameras.
Decked out in a slick, white tuxedo and dark shades, Austin sauntered across the rug to Soulja Boy's "Turn My Swag On" and reveled in the moment.
The memory still makes his sister, Precious Crawford, laugh out loud.
That was one of many sides of Austin, she said - the always-joking younger brother.
"He couldn't even cry without laughing," she said.
Now, memories are what Austin's extended family holds onto for solace.
Austin, a father of two, was gunned down the next year, in February 2013, after an argument with another young man.
He was 19-years-old.
The proceedings against two men charged in his killing are coming to a close.
Robert Bartley admitted to shooting Austin to death after an argument with Bartley's cousin, Raheem Currie.
Bartley is scheduled to be sentenced to prison on Friday. Currie was found guilty of aggravated assault last week for his part in the attack and awaits sentencing.
Austin's extended family - who came out in force for every court appearance in the past three years - gathered after verdict to remember him..
"We have always been a close family," James Austin's father and retired Trenton police officer Luddie Austin said.
Luddie Austin and James Austin's mother, Yvonne Maxwell, talked as they sat in Luddie's dining room, surrounded by photographs of their teenage son.
One showed a young James in a deep blue football uniform, resting one arm on his bent knee and grinning at the camera. In another, James is curled up next two his two sleeping daughters in their bed, light from outside spilling over their backs.
The twin daughters are now 3-years-old and giggled and chasing each other around the kitchen and dining room as their grandparents talked about their father.
Luddie says he tries to tell them stories about their father as often as he can but they are too young to fully understand.
2nd man convicted in teen's slaying
For Luddie, one of the most memorable stories is the day James met his daughters.
"He was in the hospital the whole time," Luddie said, remembering how his teenage son was mixed parts nervous and elated.
When they got home after the hospital, James scooped one of his daughters up in each arm and relaxed into a chair, gazing back at the camera as he took his first picture.
Luddie silently gazed at a copy of that photo.
"It's the same picture I took when James was born," Luddie said, still looking at the picture.
He said 22 years ago, he balanced an infant James and his twin sister in his arms the same way.
For Maxwell it makes sense - James was a lot like his Luddie, she said.
"When James was with his girls, I would swear it was his father... This was a well raised kid," she said.
Once James became a father, he made an overnight switch into a more responsible adult, Maxwell said.
"His life was just starting," Crawford said.
The teenager started going to college and studying to become a corrections officer.
He also picked up extra jobs until he was working two or three at a time. He even saved up enough money to buy his mother a television.
"You have to be proud," Maxwell said.
And that pride was what Luddie felt, the last day he saw his son alive.
The 19-year-old was standing in his home with his two infant daughters, grinning and joking with his dad about the car, Luddie said.
"I remember that smile," he added.
Later, when he was driving away from his son for the last time, Luddie said something inside told him to pick up the phone.
"So I called him. I called him and told him I love him and to keep putting in that time."
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman