Tyrone Melvin Jr. Servance

Tyrone Melvin Jr. Servance, a man remembered by his family as having a "good heart," was a 44-year-old Baltimore native known for his humble nature. A graduate of Northern High School, he was a father of four and the owner of the Northeast Variety Mart. Known to some by the nickname "3 chevy," Tyrone was a fixture in his community, a man with family ties and friendships that formed the fabric of his life in the city he called home. His life, however, was brought to a violent and calculated end in the fall of 2016.

On the evening of November 15, 2016, Tyrone was fatally shot in the 3000 block of Greenmount Avenue in north Baltimore. His death was not a random act but a targeted assassination, a murder-for-hire plot executed by members of a violent street gang. The investigation that followed would unravel a complex criminal enterprise and expose the inner workings of the Old York Money Gang (OYMG), a group that operated in the Waverly neighborhood of Northeast Baltimore.

The investigation, a joint effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Baltimore Police Department, revealed that OYMG sustained itself through drug distribution and contract killings. Federal prosecutors presented evidence that Trevon Beasley, a 24-year-old leader in the gang known as "Tre," accepted a contract to kill Tyrone Servance. On that November evening, another gang member, Darrin Mosley, known as "Legs" and "Scoop," drove Beasley to and from the location of the murder. Beasley personally carried out the execution. The killing sparked immediate and violent repercussions, igniting a street war in the subsequent weeks between associates of Tyrone and the OYMG. This retaliation culminated in two additional attempted murders perpetrated by Beasley.

The case against the Old York Money Gang was prosecuted in federal court, leading to the dismantling of the violent organization. In November 2018, following a 12-day trial, a federal jury convicted Trevon Beasley of a host of charges, including racketeering, drug distribution conspiracy, and firearm offenses related to his leadership role and the murder of Tyrone Servance. Just before the trial began, Darrin Mosley, then 25, pleaded guilty to racketeering and drug conspiracy charges. Though Mosley denied personal involvement in the gang's violent acts, the court found that evidence proved he aided and abetted in Tyrone's murder.

On March 29, 2019, U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Trevon Beasley to life in federal prison. The day before, Darrin Mosley was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his role. "OYMG gang members and other violent drug dealers must know that gun crime will lead to federal time, which has no parole – ever,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur following the sentencing. "I hope the community will take some comfort from the fact that we are holding accountable the criminals who turned their Northeast Baltimore neighborhood into a war zone."

The successful prosecution brought a measure of justice for the murder of Tyrone Servance and exposed a criminal network responsible for numerous acts of violence, including the tragic 2014 death of three-year-old McKenzie Elliott. While the court proceedings focused on the crimes of the OYMG, those who knew and loved Tyrone are left with the void of his absence. On a memorial page, his brother wrote, "Stop The Violence I miss my Brother Tyrone no one can replace a person with a good Heart." As of March 2019, the case is considered closed with the convictions and sentencings of the men responsible for his death.