In the late afternoon of June 20, 2016, a dispute in the parking lot of an IHOP on Sycamore View in Memphis, Tennessee, ended in the death of 35-year-old Marlo LoDown Williams. A Black male, Williams was discovered shot to death inside his vehicle around 4:30 p.m. what was later described by authorities as the city's 107th homicide of the year.
The investigation into Williams's death quickly revealed a story of a drug deal that had taken a violent turn.
The primary suspect was identified as 16-year-old Sebastian Vaughn. It is believed that an argument erupted between Vaughn and Williams during the transaction, which culminated in Vaughn allegedly shooting Williams with a sawed-off shotgun while he sat in his car. In a chilling turn of events, Vaughn reportedly took a photo of Williams after the shooting and shared it with multiple people on the social media platform Snapchat. Following the shooting, Williams was also robbed.
The ensuing police investigation led to the arrest of Vaughn, who was subsequently transferred to be tried in adult court due to the severity of the crime. The investigation also implicated others who were accused of attempting to help Vaughn evade capture and conceal evidence. Lee-Ann Combs, the mother of Vaughn's girlfriend, was charged with tampering with or fabricating evidence. Authorities alleged that she drove her daughter to the I-40 bridge to dispose of a backpack containing the murder weapon. Another individual, Summer Rhoden, the mother of Vaughn's girlfriend, was also indicted for allegedly hiding Vaughn from the police, knowing he was wanted in connection with Williams's murder.
