In the early morning hours of July 23, 2015, a drug transaction in a Phoenix, Arizona apartment complex took a violent turn, ending the life of 19-year-old Nicholas Decola, a White male. The incident, which occurred near 13th Street and East Mountain View Road, was described by authorities as a 'drug deal gone wrong.' Decola was attempting to sell methamphetamine to a group of individuals when they turned on him in a pre-planned robbery and attack.
The situation escalated quickly when
one of the men, Eric Edward Sparks, used a Taser on Decola. Shortly after, another individual, Jacob Kaplan, shot him in the head. Officers responded to a call about the shooting at approximately 4:23 a.m. and found Decola with a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital where he was declared brain dead just after 3:20 p.m. that same day. His family made the difficult decision to remove him from life support, and he passed away on Friday afternoon.
The investigation into the murder led to a series of arrests. On the day of the shooting, police apprehended Eric Edward Sparks and Adan Jr. Martinez. The suspected shooter, Jacob Kaplan, turned himself in to authorities on the following Sunday. Further investigation revealed the involvement of others in the plot to rob and kill Decola. Jordan Huggins was arrested and faced charges of first-degree murder and robbery. A fifth suspect, 30-year-old Bryan Blackburn, was also taken into custody and charged with murder and armed robbery. Blackburn admitted to being present and helping to plan the robbery but claimed the weapon he carried was a BB gun and that he never pointed it at Decola. He was held on a $750,000 bond.
