LEXINGTON – A newly filed federal court objection offers one of the most detailed reconstructions yet of how prosecutors say a group of Lexington gang members planned, surveilled and carried out the daytime execution of a federal witness — and how a woman close to the group allegedly helped make the killing possible. The 49-page filing, submitted by federal prosecutors on December 15, pulls together cell phone location data, license-plate reader records, surveillance video, ballistics evidence, social-media posts and thousands of text messages to describe what authorities call a paid murder-for-hire meant to silence Kristopher Lewis, a cooperating defendant in a federal drug case. Lewis was shot to death shortly after 8 a.m. on Sept. 29, 2023, as he arrived for work at Koch Air on Trade Street in Lexington. According to investigators, a dark sedan had been parked in the lot for at least an hour before Lewis arrived. When he stepped out of his vehicle, three masked gunmen exited the car, opened fire and fled within seconds. Crime scene photo showing Lewis’s vehicle and shell casing markers. (Bluegrass Crime Stoppers) A killing prosecutors say was ordered Federal authorities allege the hit was ordered by Rollie Lamar, who was facing federal drug charges and believed Lewis was cooperating against him. Prosecutors say Lamar paid members of the Hot Boyz street gang to carry out the murder. According to the filing, four gang members — Desmond Bellomy, William Dixon, Daquis Sharp and Jatiece Parks — were present at the shooting. Another member, Deangalo Boone, allegedly acted as an intermediary, handling communications and payments. A separate associate, Quincino Waide Jr., is accused of helping dispose of the getaway vehicle. Investigators recovered both 9mm and .40-caliber shell casings from the scene. Ballistics testing linked those casings to two other shootings involving Sharp’s black Acura sedan. License-plate reader data and traffic cameras show the Acura moving through Lexington in the early morning hours of the murder and fleeing immediately after gunfire erupted. Cell-site location data placed the defendants in coordinated positions before and after the shooting, prosecutors said, allowing agents to reconstruct a minute-by-minute timeline. Surveillance before the ambush A major portion of the filing focuses on Casey Allison Morris, Bellomy’s then-girlfriend, who prosecutors say knowingly allowed the group to use her vehicle to stalk Lewis in the days before his death. Text messages recovered from Morris’s phone show Bellomy telling her he needed the car to “learn his schedule” and that he “need this money,” language investigators say reflects payment tied to the killing. Using Morris’s vehicle, the group allegedly identified Lewis’s workplace, confirmed his hours and obtained his license plate number. Cell phone data placed Bellomy and Dixon near both Lewis’s home and workplace on Sept. 27 and 28, 2023. Prosecutors say Morris secretly planted a tracking phone inside her car, allowing her to monitor Bellomy’s movements. (US District Court) Morris herself secretly planted a tracking phone inside her car, allowing her to monitor Bellomy’s movements. At one point, she captured a screenshot showing Bellomy parked outside Lewis’s residence, according to the filing. Prosecutors say Morris was the only woman known to law enforcement who assisted the plot. In a text exchange as plans solidified, Bellomy told Dixon “she good wit it,” which investigators say referred to Morris approving use of her vehicle. A personal dispute — but no warning Prosecutors say Morris revoked permission for Bellomy to use the vehicle on the morning of the murder. Prosecutors argue the decision stemmed from jealousy rather than a moral break with the plan. (US District Court) The filing details a volatile relationship between Morris and Bellomy that briefly disrupted access to her car. After discovering Bellomy had stayed overnight with another woman, Morris revoked permission for him to use the vehicle on the morning of the murder. Prosecutors argue the decision stemmed from jealousy rather than a moral break with the plan. Despite knowing the group was actively surveilling Lewis, Morris never contacted law enforcement or warned Lewis, prosecutors said — even though her brother-in-law was a police officer she frequently consulted for information. After the murder, Morris texted a friend that she wished she had not said anything and had allowed the group to use her car anyway. Within days, she resumed contact with Bellomy, the filing says. Cash after the killing Investigators say payment followed quickly. Cell-site data placed Dixon and Lamar in the same area later on the day of the murder. Text messages among gang members referenced paying Boone and Waide “from the four of us,” which prosecutors say aligns with the number of shooters present. Soon after, Dixon and Parks began posting photos on social media showing themselves with large amounts of cash. A broader pattern, prosecutors say Although the filing’s immediate purpose is to challenge Morris’s pretrial release, prosecutors used it to outline what they describe as a long pattern of aiding criminal activity and obstructing justice. Among other things, the government alleges Morris previously: Accepted repeated drug and cash deliveries for a convicted trafficker Lied to police during a July 2023 home-invasion investigation tied to Bellomy and Dixon Drafted and notarized a false affidavit claiming ownership of firearms to help Bellomy avoid charges as a felon in possession Deleted key text messages after learning the FBI was investigating the homicide Passed messages between other gang associates after arrests, helping them coordinate accounts Prosecutors argue that Morris’s lack of prior convictions does not reflect a lack of criminal conduct, but rather repeated assistance carried out behind the scenes. Court orders release — then complications follow Despite those allegations, a federal magistrate judge denied the government’s request to detain Morris and ordered her released on strict conditions, including home incarceration and electronic monitoring. Morris was initially released to the custody of her sister and brother-in-law, a Richmond police officer who agreed to serve as third-party custodian. Days later, however, Morris asked the court to modify her bond after her brother-in-law was advised by Richmond Police Department leadership that allowing her to live in his home violated departmental policy. According to court filings, Richmond police policy prohibits officers from personally associating with individuals who are under criminal indictment, except in limited circumstances. Department officials warned that continued cohabitation could expose the officer to discipline, including suspension or termination. As a result, Morris requested permission to move to her mother’s residence. Court records show that prosecutors continue to challenge Morris’s release, citing her alleged history of evidence destruction, witness coordination and post-release communications. Those disputes remain pending as the broader murder-for-hire case moves forward. Why the filing matters Lewis’s killing stands out as one of the most brazen alleged acts of witness retaliation in recent Lexington history — a federal cooperating defendant gunned down in a workplace parking lot during morning rush hour. The government’s filing illustrates how modern prosecutions are built: phone metadata, license-plate readers, casual text messages and social-media posts woven into a detailed narrative of planning, execution and payment. All defendants are presumed innocent. But the filing provides the clearest public accounting yet of how prosecutors say the killing unfolded — and how, long before the shots were fired, the pieces were already being put into place. Morris-ObjectionDownload The post ‘Learn his schedule’: New filing offers clearest picture yet of alleged Hot Boyz plot to kill Lexington federal witness appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less