The Murder of Tosha Lampkin

Warning, this case discusses murder, abduction, and sexual assault.

For this case, I watched an episode of Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets. It’s season 2 episode 18, titled ‘Caught on Tape.’

Background

Tosha Marie Lampkin grew up in Houston, Texas. Growing up, Tosha’s family didn’t have a lot of money. Tosha was very talented and taught herself how to sew. She would make her own clothes and loved picking out accessories to go with them.

In high school, Tosha got pregnant and had a son. He meant everything to her, and she wanted to give him everything she didn’t have growing up. She loved kids and started a daycare.

The Getaway

Tosha and her cousin, Tonya Douglas often took trips together to Shreveport, Louisiana.

On April 22, 2005, Tosha and Tonya rented a car and headed to Shreveport. They arrived at the David Motel around 11 pm.

In the early morning hours of April 23, Tosha drove to a local diner to grab some food. She never made it back to the motel.

The Discovery

Around 6 am, the police received a phone call about a car burning on the side of the road in Caddo Parish, Louisiana.

Once the fire was extinguished, they checked the trunk. Inside the trunk, the police found a body, which was burnt beyond recognition.

The police found shell casings on the ground from a .380 semi-automatic handgun. There were two bullet holes in the car near the gas cap. The license plate had fallen off the car and onto the ground. Luckily, the plate was still legible. The car was a rental from Houston.

The police contacted the rental car company. The woman working said Tosha and her cousin had rented the car and were going to travel to Shreveport. She also directed them to the David Motel.

The police went to speak to Tonya at the motel. She was notified that the police had found their rental car and a body inside the car. Through DNA and dental records, the body was positively identified as belonging to Tosha.

The autopsy report revealed that Tosha had smoke in her lungs, which meant that she had been alive when the car was set on fire.

The First Suspect

Tonya led the police to their first suspect. She said there was a man that Tosha spoke to every time they came into Shreveport.

The man was secretive. He was living with a woman and had a child with her, which he had kept from Tosha.

The police interviewed this man. He admitted that he and Tosha were friends. He said he had a girlfriend and a child. His alibi was that he had been at home with his girlfriend and child when Tosha was killed. His girlfriend corroborated his alibi, and he was eliminated as a suspect.

The Red Car

The police returned to the motel to speak to the evening shift employees. The motel had surveillance cameras that faced the parking lot.

Tosha’s car was seen leaving and then returning to the motel parking lot. A red car was seen following her.

A photo of the red car was released to the media. A woman called the police and said she was 100% sure that the car belonged to her daughter. She had recognized some damage that had been done to the car.

The car was located at a local apartment complex. The owner of the car told the police that she had spent the night with one of her friends. She had allowed her friend’s brother, Dwight Bacon to use her car. He was only supposed to use it for a short period of time but had returned it late.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

The police located Dwight. At the police station, the police played the surveillance footage for him of the red car following Tosha. He denied ever being at the motel or knowing Tosha. He said he had been alone in the car all night. However, the police knew that someone else was involved.

Dwight’s family was cooperative and told the police that Dwight had been associated with a man named Brandon Davis. Brandon had a violent criminal history.

Dwight continued to deny killing Tosha or that he was involved. A task force was organized to locate Brandon. He was apprehended 5 hours later and brought in for questioning. He wasn’t cooperative either and denied killing Tosha.

The police obtained search warrants for both Brandon and Dwight’s apartments.

In Dwight’s apartment, the police found a .380 semi-automatic in his closet. It was submitted to the crime lab. The results revealed that it was the same gun that had fired the shell casings found at the crime scene.

The Confession

Dwight eventually admitted that he and Brandon had abducted Tosha at the motel. They had gone out that night to commit a carjacking. Tosha happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dwight said that Brandon had put the gun in Tosha’s face. They forced her into the rental car. They drove both cars out of the motel parking lot.

They robbed and sexually assaulted Tosha at gunpoint. Dwight said Brandon wanted to cover the crime up so they lit the car on fire. Dwight said Brandon had shot into the car to accelerate the fuel tank to burn the car faster. Dwight claimed that Tosha was begging them to let her out. They left in the red car and left Tosha to die in the rental car.

When Brandon was confronted, he told the police to just take him to jail. They were both charged with murder.

The Convictions

Dwight Bacon pled guilty to second-degree murder.

Brandon Davis was convicted of first-degree murder.

They are both serving life sentences in Louisiana.