Brothers have testified against each other and an ex-girlfriend has been pitted against her former boyfriend in a retrial for the suspects in the murder of Waynesboro Police Reserve Captain Kevin Quick after a May mistrial.
Quick, a 45-year-old father, was reported missing January 31, 2014, and his body was found in Goochland County a week later.
Suspects Daniel Mathis, Shantai Shelton, Mersadies Shelton and Kweli Uhuru (aka Travis Bell) are charged with kidnapping, robbery, racketeering and murder and are alleged members of a gang called the 99 Goon Syndikate, which has connections to the Bloods and is responsible for about a dozen robberies across Central Virginia near the end of 2013 and into 2014, according to the prosecution.
After the mistrial in Charlottesville’s U.S. District Court when one defendant obtained a list of potential jury members, the newly selected 12-member jury was chosen in a Roanoke federal court February 1, with opening statements beginning on February 3.
Former gang member and brother of Uhuru, Shaquan Jackson, testified that he was aware of Uhuru’s and other suspects’ affiliation with the gang. In November 2014, Jackson pleaded guilty to taking part in gang activity and agreed to testify against several of the defendants, according to NBC29.
Jackson referred to a 99 Goon Syndikate meeting, or “bee hive,” in summer 2013 after members in the Louisa County area had joined. That was shortly before the reported violent spree in Central Virginia.
The defense argued that this wasn’t necessarily gang related. And though Jackson testified that Uhuru had called him after murdering Quick, saying he needed to “lay low,” the defense got Jackson to admit that he has lied before to get what he wanted from police and argued that Jackson is hoping for a more lenient sentence in exchange for testimony.
On the fifth day of the trial, Devante Bell—another brother of Uhuru who has already pleaded guilty to the federal gang conspiracy charge—testified that he and Jackson were asked to help get rid of “some car,” which he believed to be Quick’s SUV.
Dierre Lloyd, Mathis’ former girlfriend, testified that he told her about killing a police officer and, though she initially tried to cover for him, she changed her mind when she was charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery and two counts of robbery. She is currently on house arrest and has been granted immunity in exchange for her testimony, NBC29 reports.
After the defense cross-examined Lloyd, she admitted to the jury that there’s no reason to believe what she says and attorneys have questioned the credibility of all of the convicted witnesses, including Lloyd.