February 18, 2022

Law enforcement authorities charge four with the murder of Mobile rapper's grandparents - FOX10 News

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Law enforcement authorities on Friday signed arrest warrants charging convicted drug kingpin Darrin Jamark “DD” Southall and three others with the murders of rapper HoneyKomb Brazy’s grandparents.

Tony and Leila Lewis suffered violent deaths inside their home on Dr. Thomas Drive in Mobile’s Happy Hill community when gunmen fired repeatedly into the building, which also exploded and caught fire. The ensuing blaze also damaged the house next door.

Prosecutors allege that Darrin “DD” Jamark Southall, 43, ordered the hit. Three others also have been charged with murder – Terrance Watkins, Jamarcus Chambers and a fourth man who has not been identified.

Mobile County Assistant District Attorney Louis Walker said he could not go into detail about the allegations at this time but added the charges represent a major breakthrough.

“We’re very grateful for the District Attorney’s Office to be able to, at this point, make and approve charges in light of the Mobile Police Department’s hard work and investigation to hold those responsible for this double murder to be held responsible under the law,” he told FOX10 News.

Separately on Friday, a federal judge sentenced Southall to 35 years in prison for drug and escape convictions.

Southall pleaded guilty in November to conspiracy to possess with intent distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He admitted to running a multi-state drug ring that sold 4,000 kilograms of cocaine, 24 kilograms of heroin and 2 kilograms of fentanyl worth more than $24 million.

On Thursday, the judge signed a preliminary forfeiture order allowing federal authorities to keep drug proceeds seized during the investigation. That includes almost $2.3 million in cash, jewelry and 18 vehicles.

“He had the biggest operation, the largest amount of drugs that was going through – tremendous amounts of cash,” Acting U.S. Attorney Sean Costello said. “He had a sophisticated operation. He was, by and large, the largest-scale drug dealer we have had operate in this area and a long, long time.”

While he was locked up awaiting trial on those charges, Southall escaped from the Clarke County Jail in May. He pleaded guilty to that offense in September.

Southall previously served time in prison after pleading guilty in 2003 to a drug conspiracy charge. A judge revoked his post-prison supervised release term after police charged him with first-degree assault arising from a shooting at Cozy Brown’s Restaurant in Prichard in 2012. A grand jury ultimately declined to indict him.

Southall finished his prison stint on the revocation in September 2015, and within a year began building a drug distribution network that stretched from Florida to Louisiana.

The defendant’s attorneys asked for leniency. According to a sentencing memo filed by his attorney in the escape case, Southall began drinking and smoking marijuana at age 13.

“His drug use coupled with learning disabilities made school extremely hard for Southall resulting him dropping out of school in the 9th grade,” attorney James Pittman wrote. “Other than a temporary job he obtained through labor finders in Mississippi, he has never been able to find meaningful work.”

Southall admitted that drug money paid for his condominium in Biloxi and storage units in Alabama and Mississippi. He told a supplier in Texas that he sold 100 kilograms of cocaine every month, like “clockwork,” according to his plea agreement. That amounts to $3 million paid to the supplier every month. Court records also indicate that investigators working the case concluded it was achievable after seizing more than $2 million in cash, mostly from storage units, when they arrested co-defendants in March.

Federal agents recorded thousands of calls in which Southall arranged for the purchase and distribution of cocaine and heroin, according to the plea agreement. That document also indicates that investigators at one point set up surveillance at a lawyer’s office in Mobile and saw the Southall and a co-defendant arrive in the parking lot together.

The plea agreement also documents how Southall would launder the drug proceeds. It cites bank accounts from a co-defendant showing unexplained cash deposits of more than $150,000 from February 2019 through January 2021.

Another co-defendant made large cash deposits and was paying rent for Southall’s Biloxi condo with cashier’s checks, which Southall reimbursed her for. It was designed, according to prosecutors, to conceal Southall’s ownership of the cash and its source.

source: https://www.fox10tv.com/news/mobile_county/law-enforcement-authorities-charge-four-with-the-murder-of-mobile-rapper-s-grandparents/article_ad4d49a8-9102-11ec-83d1-ef6dd20bd4d6.html

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Law enforcement authorities charge four with the murder of Mobile rapper's grandparents - FOX10 News