On the evening of February 6, 2019, emergency services in Wichita, Kansas, responded to a shooting in the parking lot of a Genesis Health Club. There, they discovered the body of 22-year-old Lorenzo Wade, a Black/African American male who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Investigators found a bag of marijuana near his body, suggesting a drug deal that had taken a fatal turn.
The ensuing investigation into the death of Lorenzo Wade led
Wichita police to two suspects: Tanner Mora and Ashantis Bledsoe. A crucial piece of evidence was Wade's cellphone. Detectives discovered messages from a "Text Now" number discussing a meeting. By obtaining a search warrant for the information associated with that number, police were able to link it to an email address used to set up various online profiles, including a Tinder account belonging to Tanner Mora. This digital trail ultimately led authorities to Mora's location, and he was arrested. Subsequently, Ashantis Bledsoe was also taken into custody in connection with the homicide.
Prosecutors argued that what was supposed to be a marijuana deal escalated into a robbery and then a homicide. An autopsy revealed that Lorenzo Wade had been shot seven times in the back, with additional gunshot wounds on his buttocks, hand, and arms. Tanner Mora was convicted of first-degree felony murder. In September 2020, a judge sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. At the time of Mora's sentencing, Ashantis Bledsoe was still awaiting trial for his alleged involvement in the death of Lorenzo Wade.
