A suspected Nevada hitman used GPS to track his victims before shooting them multiple times in public.
Michael Coleman, 40, of Las Vegas, has been charged with working as a hitman for Carl Chester Jr., 41, who allegedly ordered him to kill in retaliation for Chester not receiving money from those he helped defraud the government through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), police said.
Coleman was arrested in May for the murder of Kidada Stewart, 48, whom he allegedly shot multiple times outside her home near Fort Apache Road in February 2022. 8 News Now reported.
He was arrested in May 2023 after a confrontation at his home, according to the outlet.
The alleged hitman reportedly tracked his victims using GPS before shooting them multiple times.
He is also accused of killing Benjamin McCarty Jr. in May 2021, Marcus Larry in November 2021 and William Hill in November 2022.
Michael Coleman, 40 (pictured), has been accused of working as a hitman for Carl Chester Jr., 41, who allegedly ordered him to kill in retaliation for Chester not receiving money from those he helped defraud the government through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), police said.
On Tuesday, Coleman was hit with three new murder charges, according to 8 News Now. He also faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Chester, a gang leader, allegedly defrauded the government on PPP loans, which were given to businesses during the pandemic to help cover labor costs. He helped others get the loans and kept a portion of the money as payment.
When he wasn’t paid, Chester, who was killed in May 2023, would threaten violence and then hire Coleman to kill. If Coleman couldn’t get to the target, he would kill family members, Lt. Jason Johannson of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Tuesday.
“As this fraudulent money obtained by Carl Chester and his associates was disbursed to individuals, Chester typically received his share of the money based on the work he did or how he obtained the lead to obtain the loan,” Johannson said.
“After tracking down the victims, Michael Coleman would lie in wait and ambush them, shooting each of them multiple times,” documents obtained by 8 News Now show.
His first alleged murder, that of McCarthy, occurred on May 30, 2021, and was the only one of four that had no connection to Chester, according to police.
The shooting occurred while McCarthy, 49, was working on his car in a Charleston Boulevard parking lot.
Coleman allegedly parked near McCarthy before running up to him and shooting him, 8 News Now reported.
Coleman is accused of killing Marcus Larry, 39, who was dining at Teriyaki Madness on Charleston Boulevard in November 2021.
Coleman’s getaway driver, Arlanders Gibson, allegedly picked him up 15 minutes before the shooting. He was later arrested and accepted a plea deal, 8 News Now reported.
The shooting was allegedly due to the fact that the three belonged to a gang and the police believe the motive was an internal problem.
Months later, Coleman is accused of stalking Larry, 39, who was dining at Teriyaki Madness on Charleston Boulevard in November 2021.
He shot the man multiple times and also a restaurant employee, who survived, according to 8 News Now.
Larry’s cousin, Oscar Richardson Jr., was originally arrested for the murder and accused of paying Chester to shoot him. He was later exonerated due to lack of evidence.
While officers were towing Larry’s car, they found a GPS tracker and DNA evidence that led them to Coleman.
Coleman reportedly took a year-long break from killing before going after Hill in November 2022, when he is accused of shooting and killing the 54-year-old man outside his home while he was working on a car.
Coleman allegedly pointed his gun at another person but did not fire, according to documents.
Chester, a gang leader, allegedly defrauded the government on PPP loans, which were given during the pandemic to businesses to help cover labor costs. He also helped others obtain the loan and kept a portion of the money as payment.
Hill’s wife told police that her husband may have been killed because of the PPP loan fraud.
Her son, Shavonte Hill, received $42,000 from the government after lying on paperwork and saying he owned a barbershop. He pleaded guilty and is currently serving a 30-month sentence, according to 8 News Now.
Hill’s wife believed her husband had been attacked because their son was already in custody.
A day later, a person contacted police to say that Chester was behind the murder and that Coleman had been hired as a hitman, according to the documents.
Police later obtained surveillance footage from a car linked to Coleman’s mother, 8 News Now said.
He was arrested in May after barricading himself in his home and refusing to come out, leading to a standoff with police.
Police obtained a search warrant for the suspected killer’s phone and discovered he used several email addresses and received multiple messages from a number with a Las Vegas area code about Hill.
“Detectives analyzed the conversation and believed they were discussing what would ultimately be the murder of William Hill,” the documents said. “Michael Coleman talked about keeping an eye on (Hill’s home) … where William Hill was killed, and being careful not to get caught.”
When not paid, the gang leader, who was killed in May 2023, would threaten violence and then hire Coleman to kill them. If Coleman couldn’t get to the target, he would allegedly kill family members.
Police later learned that it was Chester that Coleman was communicating with.
In May 2023, Chester was killed, police said.
In July 2023, a gun was found that matched the shell casings used in Larry’s murder.
Police believe Coleman may also be involved in an attempted murder that took place in January 2021.
Judge Rebecca Saxe denied Coleman bail on the new charges.
Coleman has already served time in federal prison on gang charges for shooting a man in 2003 who “disrespected” him.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2006 before being released sometime in the 2010s. He was later sent back to prison after violating his release terms and was most recently released in 2017.
During his sentencing, he pleaded with the judge to give him a second chance, writing that “the worst mistake of my life is or was becoming involved in a gang.”
(tags to translate)dailymail
