The Murder of Ahmad ‘Shad’ Laster
For this case I watched an episode of The Murder Tapes. It’s season 5 episode 10, titled ‘The Drop Off.’
A 36 year old man is killed in the driveway of his friend’s house.
Background
Ahmad, who is referred to as Shad, was a 36-year-old father. He was described as very goofy, and as a warm, generous person. He loved his family, and often spoke about them to his friends.
Ahmad ‘Shad’ Laster
The 911 Call
On September 19, 2017, a woman contacted the police at 3:54am. Her name was Danielle, and she had been hanging out with her friend Shad. She told the police that she heard a gun shot, and when she looked out the window, a car was pulling away. Shad had been shot, and was now on the ground in the driveway.
The Flagler County police arrived, and had only notified that someone had been shot. They soon learned that Shad had been shot in the head. He was still alive, and trying to move around. The police can be heard on the body cam footage telling him to stay still.
The police spoke to Danielle, who was very emotional obviously. She said she and Shad had been watching football. He suddenly got up and walked outside. She didn’t know who the person was, but that Shad told her he was going to go settle this right now. She then heard the shot, and saw the car pull away. She didn’t see the make, model or color. Danielle was distraught, and was heard telling Shad to stay and not to move.
Shad was rushed to the Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, but he passed away from his injuries.
The Surveillance Footage
The police now had a homicide investigation, and they started with canvassing the area. A single shell casing was found in the road, and it was believed to have been a .40 caliber.
The police spoke to neighbors, and searched for any surveillance cameras. Luckily, a neighbor of Danielle’s had several cameras. He downloaded it onto a thumb drive for them.
There were two cameras, once faced the roadway, and once faced the side of the home and Danielle’s driveway. A car, believed to be a Sedan or convertible, could be seen driving into the neighborhood. Shad and the man are seen in some kind of confrontation. The man then pulls out a gun, and shoots Shad. This footage is very blurry, but Shad can still be seen falling to the ground after he’s shot. The man then drives away in a hurry.
A Family Feud
Sargent George Hristakopulous, who actually knew Shad, his brother, and his family, asked who would want to do this to him. Shad’s brother quickly said that Shad owed their cousin Clarence Murphy some money or a food stamp card.
Shad’s brother was shown the surveillance footage, and he identified Clarence as the shooter. He said he recognized his walk.
The police ran Clarence’s background. He had been in prison for about 7 years, due to drug charges. Shad’s family said that Clarence was living with his girlfriend. He was in fact living there, and the police went to surveil the home.
The day after the murder, the police followed Clarence and his girlfriend once they got into her car, a white Escalade. The car was eventually stopped at a traffic light, and they were both taken to the police station.
Clarence’s Confession
The police first questioned Clarence’s girlfriend, and asked her what she and Clarence were doing the previous day. She said they had both went to a family cookout, and she arrived home around 12am. She said Clarence stayed out later, and maybe returned home around 2am. She said he wasn’t home for long, and left again around 2:30-3am. He didn’t return home until after 4am.
The police asked her about Shad, and she said he was at the family cookout. She was asked if she saw Shad and Clarence interacting, and she said yes. She said everything seemed fine, and they even joked around. The girlfriend said she couldn’t see Clarence doing anything like this.
Next, Clarence was interviewed. He told the police that he had been asked by several people if he was involved in Shad’s death. They asked him why people would think that, and he said because Shad owed him money. Clarence explained that Shad had given him a food stamp card that should’ve had $100, but when he tried to use it, there was nothing on it. The EBT card was reportedly in exchange for drugs.
Clarence said he was pissed, and sent Shad some angry messages. One message read: “U been stealing from everybody someone gonna stop u.” He said he asked Shad where he was, even though he later said he knew where Shad was because he had dropped him off that night. Clarence said he eventually went back, intending to fight Shad.
Clarence told the police that he went back to Danielle’s, but that no one was there, so he left. The police confronted Clarence, and said that right after he left, someone killed Shad. Clarence said it wasn’t him. However, they had the surveillance footage and the brother’s statement about it being him.
The police said that Clarence’s car was seen in the area at 3:50am, and the 911 call was placed 4 minutes later. Clarence was showed the surveillance footage, and he is heard saying “I’m screwed, they’re going to give me life.”
Arrest and Conviction
Clarence agreed to show the police where he dumped the murder weapon. He had thrown it off a dock, into a lake. The police sent a dive team out, and it was located.
Clarence Murphy was convicted of second degree murder. However, he had violated his parole, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Shad’s younger brother Jermodris said:
“He was my cousin and I truly do love him still,” “But that wasn’t right. He didn’t deserve that; nobody deserves that.”
Clarence Murphy
FINAL THOUGHTS
The surveillance footage in this case was hard to watch, but it ultimately helped solve the case. Clarence believed that Shad, his own cousin, was stealing. Instead of trying to work through their issues, he killed him in cold blood. Clarence and Shad both were fathers, and now their kids will have to grow up without their fathers.
He thought he could get away with it, until he saw the surveillance footage. It was satisfying seeing him realize he was caught, and he deserves the sentence he received.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/ahmad-rashad-murder-where-is-clarence-murphy-now/
