In the summer of 2016, a grim discovery was made in a barn in Montgomery Township, Pennsylvania, not far from Greencastle. On the evening of June 25th, state troopers responded to a report of gunfire and found a scene of brutal violence. Inside the barn on a property located on Welsh Run Road, lay the bodies of 39-year-old Wendy Ann Chaney of Hagerstown, Maryland, and 47-year-old Brandon Cole of Fayetteville.
A third victim, 36-year-old Phillip Matthew Jackson of Greencastle, was found with severe injuries and was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he later succumbed to his wounds. All three victims had been shot, and their hands were zip-tied behind their backs. An attempt had also been made to set their bodies on fire.
The investigation that followed uncovered a chilling murder-for-hire plot rooted in the world of drug trafficking. Wendy Chaney had been in a relationship with and was assisting Torey White and Kevin Coles in their drug distribution operations. After being arrested on drug charges, Chaney began cooperating with federal authorities, providing information on a number of drug traffickers in the area. When White, Coles, and another co-conspirator, Devin Dickerson, learned of Chaney's cooperation, they contracted to have her killed. The evidence presented at trial indicated that Chaney was aware of the danger she was in, telling others in the days leading up to her death that she believed Coles was going to kill her.
A group of men from Baltimore, members of the Black Guerilla Family gang, were recruited to carry out the murder. On the night of the killings, they traveled to Phillip Jackson's farm where they expected to find Chaney. They were also told there would be a safe on the property containing cash, drugs, and guns that they could take as payment. Inside the barn, they encountered not only Chaney but also Brandon Cole and Phillip Jackson. Jackson and Cole were murdered to eliminate them as witnesses to Chaney's killing. Wendy Chaney was shot twice, once in the back and once in the back of her neck.
A lengthy seven-year investigation ultimately led to the charging of multiple individuals in connection with the triple homicide. Christopher Van Johnson, one of the men recruited from Baltimore, was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences for his role in the murders. Another man, Jerell Adgebesan, who was involved in recruiting the killers, also received a life sentence. Kevin Coles, one of the masterminds of the plot, was found guilty on multiple counts, and other co-conspirators, including Kenyatta Corbett, Devin Dickerson, and Torey White, were also charged and convicted for their involvement in the conspiracy and murders.
