In May of 2020, a journey to Syracuse for Corey Hober, a 35-year-old Caucasian male from Tupper Lake, New York, ended in tragedy. Hober, who had a history of struggling with addiction, traveled with a friend to the city with the intention of purchasing drugs. In the early morning hours of May 27th, their path crossed with Lazear Coker-Hawkins, then 22 years old, in an apartment complex on Griffiths Street.
The encounter turned violent when Coker-Hawkins, armed with a gun, attempted to
rob Hober and his friend. According to court records, after a verbal exchange, Coker-Hawkins shot Hober in the head. The gunshot wound proved to be fatal. First responders found Hober with a life-threatening injury to his upper body and transported him to Upstate University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into Hober's death moved swiftly, with several witnesses to the robbery and shooting identifying Coker-Hawkins to the Syracuse Police. His arrest followed, and he was subsequently charged with a string of serious felonies, including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Following his arrest, Coker-Hawkins was held at the Onondaga County Justice Center without the possibility of bail.
