The sequence of events that led to the death of Trevin Christopher Dicks began in the early morning hours of February 22, 2024, in Springfield, Missouri. Trevin, a 21-year-old white male, was involved in a planned transaction that authorities later characterized as a botched robbery attempt targeting an individual for marijuana. According to investigators, the scheme involved multiple accomplices, including his 19-year-old sister, Tarrin Dicks, and 18-year-old Izaiah Crabb.
The group had arranged to meet a man under the guise of a drug deal, but the encounter was orchestrated to ambush the target. Tarrin Dicks drove an SUV to the meeting spot near East Erie Street, while Trevin and another associate, 19-year-old Reggie Carey, concealed themselves in the rear cargo area of the vehicle, armed with a rifle and a handgun.
When the intended target entered the passenger seat of the vehicle, the situation escalated rapidly. As Tarrin Dicks stopped the car, Trevin and Carey emerged from the back to confront the passenger with their weapons. A struggle ensued over the rifle, prompting the target, who was also armed, to draw a semiautomatic handgun. Acting in self-defense, the man fired multiple rounds into the back of the vehicle, striking both Trevin and Carey. The shooter then fled the scene on foot. Police officers responded to reports of gunfire near South Campbell Avenue and Walnut Lawn Street around 12:22 a.m., discovering evidence of a shooting but no victims at the immediate scene.
Shortly after the shooting, Trevin Dicks and Reggie Carey arrived at Cox South Hospital in a private vehicle, both suffering from critical gunshot wounds. Despite medical efforts, they succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced dead. The investigation quickly shifted focus to the surviving accomplices as the details of the conspiracy emerged. Authorities determined that the deaths occurred during the commission of a felony, leading to serious legal consequences for those involved in the plot. Under Missouri's felony murder rule, individuals can be held criminally responsible for a death that results from a felony they are committing, even if they did not pull the trigger.
In the wake of the incident, police arrested Tarrin Dicks and Izaiah Crabb. Both were charged with second-degree murder, attempted robbery, and armed criminal action. The legal proceedings revealed that the group had conspired to steal the marijuana rather than purchase it, a decision that ultimately cost two lives. In August 2025, Tarrin Dicks was sentenced to 15 years in prison after entering an Alford plea to the charges related to the double fatality. The case highlighted the volatile nature of such criminal enterprises, bringing a tragic end to the lives involved and resulting in lengthy incarceration for the surviving conspirators.
