Deshawn Morgan said he knew that by sending Donald Holmes Jr. to meet with a member of the Wicked Town street gang in January 2018, he was sending his longtime friend to his death.
But Morgan said he had gotten a “weird vibe” and thought Holmes had snitched on him to authorities. He was wrong. But when Holmes came looking for a gun, Morgan said he sent him to meet with Wicked Town gangster Darius “Skudder” Murphy.
Nearly five years later, a federal jury Thursday viewed the bloody aftermath that resulted from Morgan’s suspicion that Holmes had been “playing with the police.” Crime scene videos and photographs from the Jan. 31, 2018, slayings of Holmes and his girlfriend, Diane Taylor, were shown as the trial of alleged Wicked Town leader Donald Lee ended its second week of testimony.
Holmes and Taylor were gunned down in front of Holmes’ 2017 Jeep Cherokee outside Murphy’s home in the 4700 block of Arthington Street. Taylor was in the driver’s seat, and Holmes was in the passenger seat.
Yellow police tape fluttered and blue lights flashed in the desolate nighttime scene depicted in the first of a series of videos taken by a Chicago police forensic investigator. As the camera pans around, Holmes’ damaged baseball cap is seen in the street. And the bright blue sneaker on Holmes’ right foot is visible on the Jeep’s passenger side.
Eventually, jurors saw the bloody bodies of Taylor and Holmes in front of the Jeep. Taylor’s head, with a wig cap exposed, could be seen resting on Holmes’ body. In the back of the car, a Grand Lux bag rests on the floor near pools of blood.
Federal prosecutors warned jurors before testimony began last week that they would see evidence of graphic violence committed by the Wicked Town street gang. And they offered a word of caution again Thursday. Still, the jurors did not appear to look away from the evidence. Rather, some seemed to be studying it closely and taking notes.
Lee and Torance “Blackie” Benson face racketeering conspiracy charges in a trial that is expected to last into November. An indictment last year connected the Wicked Town street gang, a faction of the Traveling Vice Lords, to 19 slayings over 20 years.
Among them were the killings of Holmes and Taylor. Murphy was allegedly caught on tape bragging about their killings.
“I get in the back seat,” Murphy allegedly said. “Shoot that b---- in the back of his sh—. Pow pow!”
Then, he allegedly added, “His b---- tried to bail out. I grabbed her by the back of her wig. I said, ‘Where you going?’ Pow pow! I hit her in her sh— two times. Then I turn, hit him in his sh— two more times. Pow pow!”
Murphy has since pleaded guilty in the case and admitted that he shot Holmes and Taylor multiple times in the backs of their heads. Jurors were told Thursday that Holmes was shot four times, and Taylor was shot twice.
Morgan, who has also pleaded guilty and acknowledged his role in the crime, testified repeatedly Thursday that he sent Holmes “to his death,” though he said he never explicitly told Murphy to kill him. He also said he didn’t know that Taylor would be with Holmes.
Morgan said Holmes had previously told him he’d been working with law enforcement, but it didn’t immediately bother him. It wasn’t until later, after Morgan was stopped by police after getting off the phone with Holmes, that he said he began to have suspicions. Then, after Morgan said he introduced the Wicked Town founder to Holmes, the founder’s home was raided.
Following the deaths of Holmes and Taylor, Morgan said he spoke with Lee about the killings.
He said Lee told him “it was a dumb idea” to have the pair killed right in front of Murphy’s house.
