On the evening of March 22, 2016, a burst of violence at the Midway Motel on North Snelling Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota, claimed the lives of two men, one of whom was 23-year-old Dominique Charles Moss, a Black / African American male. The incident, which unfolded around 9:30 p.m., was not a random act but the culmination of a planned effort to collect a drug-related debt.
Moss was not the primary target of the attack, but found himself tragically caught in the deadly confrontation.
The events of that night were set in motion when three men arrived at the motel with the intention of confronting Nicholas Bennett Tousley, 30, over money. These men were later identified as Ronald L. Conway, 31, Cass Cordel O'Neal, 31, and Eric John Benner, 30, who served as the getaway driver. Investigators determined that Conway had orchestrated the meeting to collect a debt from Tousley. Moss had rented the room where the initial confrontation and shooting occurred.
The investigation into the double homicide moved swiftly, aided by clear surveillance video from the motel that captured the suspects and their vehicle, a dark-colored Lexus. Within a day, St. Paul police had made significant headway, identifying and locating the individuals involved. The footage showed the men converging on Room 15, the ensuing chaos of the shooting, and their subsequent escape.
The first to be brought into custody was Eric Benner. His cooperation was crucial in identifying the other suspects. He admitted to driving the men to the motel for the purpose of Conway collecting a debt. Soon after, Ronald Conway was also apprehended. The alleged shooter, Cass Cordel O'Neal, was located and taken into custody by a SWAT team. A fourth man, aged 36, was also arrested in connection with the homicides, though his specific role was not as prominently detailed.
In the subsequent legal proceedings, the main perpetrators were held accountable for their roles in the deaths of Moss and Tousley. Cass Cordel O'Neal, the gunman, and Eric John Benner, the driver, both pleaded guilty. Ronald L. Conway was convicted by a jury on multiple counts of aiding and abetting second-degree murder. He was later sentenced to a term of 40 years in prison, to be served concurrently with an 18-year sentence for the death of Dominique Moss. During the sentencing, Moss's mother shared the profound grief of her family, stating that her son had once aspired to become a police officer.
