In the summer of 2016, a young man's life was cut tragically short in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. On the night of August 5th, 19-year-old Zackery David Glenn Napper was found deceased in an alley off of South 3rd Street. He had sustained a single gunshot wound to the chest. A female companion who was with Napper at the time was also shot but survived her injuries.
The investigation into the death of the young man, who resided on West Manslick Road, was immediately treated as a homicide.
Authorities soon arrested a suspect, 25-year-old Quennel Young, in connection with the fatal shooting. The incident was reported to have occurred during an alleged drug deal. According to the surviving victim, she and Napper had been communicating with an individual about purchasing heroin and had agreed to meet. They entered the man's vehicle and were driven to the location on South 3rd Street where the shooting took place. It was alleged that after shooting Napper, Young ran him over with his vehicle before fleeing the scene.
The case against Quennel Young proceeded to trial, where he faced charges of murder and attempted murder. During the investigation, it came to light that Napper was scheduled to testify in a drug case against an alleged dealer. This revelation raised questions about whether his impending testimony was a motive for the murder. Despite the charges and the ongoing investigation into the potential connection to the drug case, the legal proceedings concluded with an unexpected outcome. In April of 2018, a jury found Quennel Young not guilty of all charges, and he was acquitted.
