Suspects in Murder of Anthony Kye Facing Life in Prison if Convicted
On Friday of last week two Lansing teenagers, 19-year-old Jamon Hampton and 16-year-old Valentino Stewart were ordered to stand trial on murder charges. Ingham County Judge Patrick Cherry made the decision during the preliminary hearing in 54A District Court, and the case was bound over to the Circuit Court. The two teenagers are facing charges because of their roles in the fatal shooting of Anthony Kye.
On June 26, 2013, 35 year old Kye was standing outside his home on North Pine Street in Lansing with his fiancee’, Michelle Waters. Suddenly shots were fired at them from the side of their home. They both ran as fast as they were able in an attempt to get away. Waters was not injured during the incident, but Kye was shot. Waters attempted to revive him with CPR, but was unsuccessful.
At about midnight, police were dispatched to the area after reports of possible gun shots. Officers found Kye with gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. There were several witnesses in the area that night.
The shooting, as it turns out, was a “revenge killing” for a beating that had occurred two days previously. According to Mark Williams, a roommate of the two accused teens, he had provided them with an AR-15 rifle just minutes before the shooting, which they intended to use to “get revenge” on someone who had beaten up Stewart.
Williams claims that Stewart and Hampton had asked him for a ride to the store, but soon figured out that they intended only to look for a specific person and harm him. Driving in the 600 block of North Pine Street, Stewart apparently pointed out a man and said “that’s him”. Williams said he was told to circle around the block and park nearby.
Williams discovered that Stewart was armed with a handgun and only three bullets, so he offered to give Hampton his AR-15 rifle. Williams had apparently brought the gun up from Mississippi when he moved to Michigan four weeks previously, and happened to have it in the trunk of his 2006 Mustang at the time.
According to Williams, Hampton wrapped a jacket around his face in lieu of a mask, then Hampton and Stewart took off running in the direction of the man they had pointed out before. Seconds later shots could be heard, which Williams identified as having been fired from his AR-15. Immediately Hampton and Stewart ran back to the car.
Later that night they learned who it was that they had shot. And it wasn’t the person they had intended. Hampton apparently seemed troubled that he had shot “the wrong man.”
Hampton is facing multiple felony charges of open murder, assault with intent to commit murder, carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, and carrying a firearm during the commission of a felony. He also is being charged as a habitual offender. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
Stewart was arraigned as an adult on multiple felony charges, which include first-degree premeditated murder, assault with intent to murder, carrying a concealed weapon and using a gun to commit a felony. If convicted, Stewart may be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.