Pinellas deputies arrest 4 men in fatal drug robbery
Pinellas deputies have arrested four men on first-degree murder charges in a Largo shooting that occurred during a botched drug robbery at an apartment.
Tyaire Turner, Terrell Markee Jackson, Joshua Ashley and Scott Laracuente each face a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Brent Alley, 20. He was shot to death on April 29 at 8300 Ulmerton Road in Largo.
Additionally, Khoi Chu is facing a criminal charge after deputies said he conspired with others to sell marijuana.
Alley and a friend had traveled from Jacksonville to Pinellas County to buy drugs from Ashley, according to court records. On the way, Alley texted Ashley and told him he was bringing “racks” of money, court records said. Detectives believe Alley may have brought thousands of dollars with him.
During an interview with a detective, Ashley said that he, Turner, Jackson and Laracuente had planned to rob Alley. Ashley said he gave Turner a gun and that Turner was supposed to wait behind a stairwell door until he received a signal from Jackson, according to court records.
However, Turner entered the residence before the signal, wearing a bandana, and shot Alley with the Glock .40-caliber handgun, Ashley told the detective. Jackson grabbed a duffel bag that Alley had brought, believing that it had money inside, and fled with Ashley, Turner and Laracuente, according to court records.
When a deputy interviewed Alley’s friend, he initially said Alley had arranged to buy a vehicle via Facebook, and that they were going to purchase the car at the apartment. Later, he admitted to a detective that they had come to the unit to buy drugs, according to court records.
At roughly 5 p.m. on the day of the homicide, Jackson arrived at the scene in his Dodge Challenger Hellcat, according to court records. Chu, who is a Bloods gang member, according to his arrest affidavit, arrived at the scene shortly after in a white Chevrolet Malibu. Another man, who detectives believe to have been Laracuente, exited the passenger side of the Malibu, and a third person exited the driver’s side.
Alley and his friend arrived at the Largo unit around 5:45 p.m., according to court records. At 6:30 p.m., two “individuals believed to be Ashley and Jackson” left the scene to go to Chick-fil-A, court records state. Meanwhile, the suspects texted back and forth, hesitating about whether to go forward with the robbery because Alley had brought a friend, according to court records.
Roughly 15 minutes later, the Malibu was driven out of the parking lot of the unit. At this point, detectives believe Alley and his friend were alone at the unit with Laracuente while Jackson and Ashley were at Chick-fil-A.
At about 7 p.m., Ashley tried to call Turner. It is unclear when Turner arrived at the scene. According to court records, his cellphone did not produce any location data between 7 p.m. and about 8:40 p.m. and was turned off or in airplane mode during the time of the shooting. According to surveillance footage obtained by law enforcement, two gunshots can be heard around 7:21 p.m.
When Alley’s friend heard a gunshot, he tried to flee, but one of the suspects threw him to the ground, according to court records. After seeing that Alley had been shot, the friend called 911. Alley was taken to Largo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Detectives arrested Chu, 31, on May 6. Jackson, 33, Laracuente, 32, and Ashley, 28, were arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department that same day on Pinellas warrants for conspiracy to sell cannabis and misuse of a two-way communication device. The murder charges were later added against the three men.
Jail records show Ashley was booked in Pinellas County on May 11, while Laracuente was booked on May 20 and Jackson was booked on Saturday. Turner, 43, was taken into custody in Virginia, court records show, and was extradited and booked in Pinellas County on Sunday morning.
