In a brazen daylight shooting on October 19, 2019, 18-year-old Dwayne Slaughter was killed in Lexington, Kentucky. Slaughter, along with another 18-year-old, Darrian Webb, and a third individual, were in a passenger car at the intersection of Winchester Road and Seventh Street when they were targeted. A light-colored SUV pulled up beside their vehicle, and multiple rounds were fired into the car.
Both Slaughter and Webb succumbed to their injuries at the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital less than an hour after the shooting. The third victim in the car was wounded but survived. Investigators recovered 37 shell casings of three different calibers from the scene of the crime.
The investigation into the double homicide led to the identification and arrest of four suspects. De'Shaun Armor, 20, and John Boulder, 20, were the first to be charged in January 2020. Armor was charged with two counts of murder, first-degree assault, first-degree wanton endangerment, and tampering with physical evidence. Boulder faced charges of facilitation to murder, facilitation to wanton endangerment, and tampering with physical evidence. Subsequently, Kenneth Jakobe Jackson, 18, and Sevion Mitchell were also charged in connection with the shooting. At the time of the initial charges, Jackson was a juvenile, and his name was not publicly released.
The motive for the shooting was revealed to be gang-related retaliation. A detective testified that the shooting was in response to derogatory videos and statements Webb had made about a gang. Prosecutors alleged that three of the four suspects were part of an organized criminal syndicate that engaged in drug trafficking and violent crimes in Lexington. An informant told investigators that the suspects were given guns and instructed to shoot at Slaughter and Webb if they saw them.
In April 2022, all four defendants accepted plea deals for reduced charges. De'Shaun Armor was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree manslaughter. John Boulder received a seven-year prison sentence for two counts of facilitating murder. Sevion Mitchell and Kenneth Jakobe Jackson also pleaded guilty to lesser charges. As part of their sentencing, all four defendants were ordered to be jointly responsible for paying $14,771 in funeral costs for both victims.
