In the late hours of a November evening in Nashville, Tennessee, the life of 28-year-old Brendon Scott Leggs was tragically cut short. On November 26, 2014, the Black male was fatally shot outside the Discount Tobacco & Beer on Lewis Street as he attempted to drive away from two gunmen who had approached his vehicle. An exchange of words quickly escalated to gunfire, and Leggs was struck.
He was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries later that evening.
The investigation into the murder of Brendon Scott Leggs would unravel a string of violent crimes and lead to the identification of several suspects. The initial investigation by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revealed that the shooting was connected to a robbery attempt. The perpetrators were identified as Calvin Starks and Terrance Kimbrough. Their aim was to rob Leggs of drugs and money. As Leggs tried to flee the scene in his car, the two men opened fire.
In the days following the murder, Starks and Kimbrough grew concerned about a potential witness, Monte Watson. Fearing that Watson would cooperate with law enforcement, they sought to silence him. Their efforts to locate Watson were discussed in a recorded jail phone call after Starks was arrested on an unrelated cocaine possession charge on December 1, 2014. Just two days later, on December 3, 2014, Monte Watson was shot and killed.
The extensive investigation culminated in the arrests and prosecution of those involved in the death of Brendon Scott Leggs and the related criminal activities. Calvin Starks pleaded guilty to a number of federal charges, including using a firearm to commit a crime of violence resulting in death. In August 2017, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his role in the violent crime spree. Terrance Kimbrough, who was also charged with the murder of Monte Watson, pleaded guilty in August 2018 to two counts of using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence resulting in death, among other offenses. He received a 42-year prison sentence in March 2019. The investigation also implicated Calvin Starks' cousin, Darryl Starks, and his mother, Ivy Starks, in related crimes. Darryl Starks was involved in other shootings and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in October 2019. Ivy Starks pleaded guilty to witness tampering and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
