On a Tuesday evening in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the life of 19-year-old Ki-jana Ray Free, a Black/African American male, was tragically cut short. On March 1, 2016, Free was fatally shot while sitting in his car at the Spring Creek Apartments. The violent ambush also left a passenger in his vehicle, Tyler Blythe, seriously injured.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a plot rooted in retaliation.
Authorities determined that members of a gang known as the "Almighty Imperial Gangsters" targeted Free because they believed he was responsible for burglarizing their clubhouse and stealing a video game console. Investigators pieced together a chilling narrative of how Free and Blythe were lured to the apartment complex, only to be met with a barrage of gunfire.
In the aftermath, law enforcement made several arrests, bringing charges against multiple individuals. Among them were Peter Capote and Benjamin Young, who were both ultimately convicted of capital murder. In separate trials, juries recommended the death penalty for both men, and judges handed down death sentences. Another man, Thomas Hubbard, was also convicted of capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A fourth individual, De'Vontae Bates, played a role in the events leading to Free's death. In a plea agreement, Bates pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy in exchange for his testimony against the other suspects, receiving a 20-year prison sentence. A fifth person, Riley Earl Hamm, III, was also arrested and faced charges in connection with the murder. The legal proceedings highlighted the coordinated effort to orchestrate the fatal shooting, bringing a measure of justice for the violent end to a young life.
