Man Murdered in Front of His Young Daughter by a Group Who Used GPS Tracking Devices to Find Him

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A man from Kansas City, Missouri has been found guilty by a federal trial jury of leading a GPS cyberstalking conspiracy which resulted in the murder of another man.

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Missouri.

The conspiracy utilized GPS tracking devices to hunt down and kill the victim in front of his young daughter.

Lester E. Brown, 36, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, one count of cyberstalking resulting in death, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm on May 5, 2017.

Brown’s co-defendants, Michael Young, 32, and Ronell Pearson, 36, have already pleaded guilty to their roles in the cyberstalking conspiracy.

Young pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting cyberstalking resulting in death. Both co-defendants are currently in custody, awaiting sentencing.

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Murder of Christopher Harris & The Cyberstalking Conspiracy

In a cyberstalking conspiracy that lasted from November 2017 to March 2018, Lester E. Brown, Michael Young, and Ronell Pearson used GPS devices to track Christopher Harris and his associates’ vehicles.

Brown placed multiple GPS devices on the vehicles to monitor their locations.

On March 14, 2018, Brown, Young, and Pearson tracked Harris to a dance studio in Raytown, Missouri.

Brown, driving the car with Young and Pearson as passengers, followed Harris’s car as he drove his daughter home from dance class and dropped her off at her mother’s house in Independence.

Brown pulled up behind Harris’s vehicle and, with Young, got out of the car, firing multiple shots into Harris’s vehicle.

As Harris screamed, “My daughter’s in the car! My daughter is in the car!”, Brown fired several rounds into the vehicle and several more rounds at Harris as he ran towards the door.

Harris’s daughter made it inside the house unharmed, but Harris fell to the ground before reaching the door. Brown stood over him and fired two final shots while he lay on the ground.

Before his murder, the conspirators sent Harris threatening messages using Snapchat, including photographs of GPS devices and demanding a monthly payment of $10,000 to Brown.

In January 2018, the conspirators surveilled Harris’s girlfriend at her workplace and followed her home.

In February 2018, they deployed a GPS tracking device on Harris’s black Nissan Altima and used a tracking service to determine his real-time location.

Another GPS tracking device was deployed on Harris’s vehicle on March 12, 2018.

Brown’s conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm is related to him illegally possessing the Glock .45-caliber pistol used to murder Harris.

It is illegal under federal law for anyone convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.

Brown, who was on supervised release following his conviction and imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm, also has a prior felony conviction for receiving stolen property.

Ryan Cobbins Murder

During the trial of Lester E. Brown, evidence was presented regarding the murder of Ryan Cobbins, a friend and associate of Christopher Harris, whom Brown also targeted.

One of the threatening Snapchat messages sent to Harris read, “Man, you … are gonna end up like Ryan,” which Harris believed referred to the murder of Cobbins in 2013.

Cobbins disappeared on October 24, 2013, after going to get a haircut. In November 2013, Brown took a “ransom” payment of $20,000 from Harris and another person to secure the safe return of Cobbins.

Brown claimed he could act as a mediator between the kidnappers and Harris and arranged Cobbins’ return.

On December 31, 2014, Cobbins was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

After presenting the evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., took three and a half hours to return guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, ending the trial that began on May 1.

Brown is now subject to a sentence of up to life in federal prison without parole under federal statutes.

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