Las Vegas man accused of hiring 2 teens to kill victim over drug debt
05/18/2023 3:03 pm PDT
LAS VEGAS (TCD) -- A 28-year-old man is in custody after allegedly arranging to have two 15-year-olds fatally shoot a man over a marijuana debt.
According to a news release from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, on Feb. 10, at approximately 4:03 p.m., officers responded to a home on the 2000 block of Los Feliz Street to a report of a shooting, where they located a male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead.
The victim was identified as 46-year-old Carlos Martinez, KLAS-TV reports.
On Feb. 23, officials arrested two teen boys, Robert Farabee and Landon Richards, who allegedly shot Martinez multiple times in the garage of the Los Feliz Street home.
Earlier this week, on May 17, police arrested David Rodriguez-Kepple on suspicion of planning the shooting.
According to KLAS, Martinez's stepson was the intended victim, but he left the garage shortly before the fatal shooting. Rodriguez-Kepple allegedly fronted Martinez's stepson $400 worth of marijuana, but the stepson failed to pay.
An arrest report obtained by KLAS alleged Rodriguez-Kepple managed an illegal drug business out of his garage.
One of the teens who carried out the shooting, Farabee, was allegedly homeless and living with Rodriguez in exchange for dealing drugs and narcotics. Richards was reportedly delivering drugs for the illegal operation.
According to the arrest report as cited by KLAS, Rodriguez-Kepple "egged" Farabee and Richards on and wanted them to kill Martinez's stepson to settle the debt. Rodriguez-Kepple also reportedly threatened to kick Farabee out of the home if they failed to do so.
Rodriguez-Kepple was booked into the Clark County Jail on charges of open murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and four counts of possessing drugs with intent to sell.
The two teens were booked into the Clark County Juvenile Hall on a count of open murder.
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