In the late autumn of 2017, the quiet community of Catawba, South Carolina, was disturbed by the sound of gunshots after 4:30 p.m. on a Friday. When law enforcement arrived at Will Jones Circle, they discovered the body of 23-year-old Angel Carmindo Dominguez Vega, a male resident of Charlotte, North Carolina. An autopsy would later confirm that he had died from a fatal gunshot wound on that day, November 3, 2017.
The investigation into the young man's death quickly pointed to a violent
altercation rooted in the drug trade. Authorities revealed that the shooting was connected to the theft of a significant quantity of marijuana and cocaine that had been shipped to the area from California. It is believed that after the drugs were stolen, the events that led to the deadly confrontation were set in motion, culminating in the shooting death of Dominguez Vega. The York County Sheriff's Office diligently pursued leads in the case.
The day after the discovery of Dominguez Vega's body, investigators made their first arrest. Jerry Roderick Cousar, a 41-year-old man, was taken into custody and subsequently charged with murder and trafficking cocaine. As the investigation continued, a second suspect, 19-year-old Trenyatta Jondae Massey, was also apprehended and faced charges of murder and cocaine trafficking. Prosecutors alleged that Cousar was the gunman and had been enlisted by Massey to locate the individual responsible for the stolen drugs.
A third person, Isaac Felipe Asteri, 61, of Homestead, Florida, was later implicated in the events leading up to the homicide. Authorities alleged that Asteri was the one who had stolen the drugs. Following the theft, Asteri reportedly contacted Charlotte police, claiming his life was in jeopardy. He was eventually arrested in Charlotte, where the stolen drugs were recovered. After being held in Florida on other charges, Asteri was extradited back to South Carolina in June 2019 to face charges for drug trafficking. He was also being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer.
