In the early morning hours of June 15, 2017, in Roanoke, Virginia, the life of 17-year-old Nickalas Lee was tragically cut short. Just two weeks after graduating high school, he was found with multiple gunshot wounds at the Countryside Estates apartment complex on Tuckawana Circle NW. Responders rushed him to a nearby hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries about an hour later.
The male teenager, affectionately known as 'Nick,' was a recent high school graduate with a promising future, known for his love of music, drawing, and making people laugh.
The investigation into Nickalas's death revealed a harrowing story of gang involvement and a fatal act of conscience. According to law enforcement, members of the Rollin' 30s Crips street gang had taken Nickalas to the apartment complex that night. The gang's leader, Sean Denzel Guerrant, had ordered Nickalas to kill another individual, D.F., as a consequence for perceived disloyalty to the gang. However, instead of carrying out the order, Nickalas warned the intended victim, allowing them to escape.
This act of defiance cost Nickalas his life. After the intended target fled, Demonte Rashod Mack pointed a firearm at Nickalas, forcing him to surrender his own weapon to Trayvone Raycron Kasey. As Nickalas attempted to flee, both Kasey and Mack chased him down and shot him twice in the back, killing him. The senseless violence left his family heartbroken, with his father, Darrell Lee, making an emotional public plea for an end to the 'stop snitching' culture that perpetuates such tragedies.
In the years following the murder, justice for Nickalas Lee was pursued through the legal system. In August 2022, three members of the Rollin' 30s Crips were sentenced for their roles in a racketeering conspiracy that included Nickalas's murder. Sean Denzel Guerrant, also known as 'Harlem Denk,' was sentenced to 37 years in prison. Trayvone Raycron Kasey received a 36-year sentence, and Demonte Rashod Mack was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison. The successful prosecution was the result of extensive work by the Roanoke Police Department and their federal partners.
