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The duo charged with the drug-related retaliation homicide of a Point Breeze man was convicted and sentenced to life behind bars.
“This is the third in series of four murders that were back and fourth between two rival drug gangs,” Assistant District Attorney Richard Sax said.
A jury convicted Steven Mapp, 26, of the 1400 block of South 15th Street, and Demetrius Cox, 25, of the 1700 block of South 18th Street, in the slaying of Jabar Thomas Jan. 22, according to court records. They were both sentenced to life in prison without parole at Montgomery County’s Graterford State Prison for first-degree murder, conspiracy, possession of an instrument of a crime and firearm violations, including not possessing a license and carrying in public.
The 28-year-old victim from the 1400 block of South Hicks Street was wounded multiple times, including a blow to the head at 11:10 p.m. Aug. 4, 2009, police said.
“He was just coming out from his mom’s house and was getting into his car,” Sax said. “And Mapp and Cox approached, coming up Hicks and fired 12, 13 rounds and hit him while he was in the car, turning the car on, getting ready to pull off. … It was an ambush.”
The offenders — Mapp with a semi-automatic and Cox with a revolver — were telling residents to go inside prior to gunning down Thomas, Sax said.
Thomas was transported in extremely critical condition to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital where he was pronounced dead three days later at 1:15 p.m., police said. The offenders were arrested at police headquarters Aug. 28, ’09.
There was a turf war between the Reed and Hicks-based and 15th and Dickinson-based drug gangs, which intensified when 15th and Dickinson’s Darryl Pray allegedly sold crack to a woman in enemy territory, Sax said. Nieem Thomas, of Reed and Hicks, gunned down Pray July 21, ’09. One-and-a-half hours later, Marlon Lindsay allegedly retaliated by killing Tyrell Smack of Hicks and Reed. Mapp and Cox teamed up to slay Jabar Thomas two week later. Hicks and Reed’s Lamar Truitt struck back gunning down Horace Cunningham Oct. 11, ’09.
“Several of the key people in these two small-time drug operations are doing life in prison,” Sax said.
Nieem Thomas — whose brothers Jabar Thomas and Smack were killed — and Lindsay were sentenced to life in prison Feb. 8, ’11 and Sept. 28, ’12 respectively, according to court records. Lindsay, whose case had a hung jury Nov. 15, ’12, is set for a retrial Dec. 9, ’13.
Contact Managing Editor Amanda L. Snyder at asnyder@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
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