An accused Nevada hitman used GPS to track his victims before shooting them multiple times in public.
Michael Coleman, 40, of Las Vegas, has been accused of working as a hitman for Carl Chester Jr., 41, who allegedly ordered him to kill in retaliation for Chester not receiving money from those he helped to defraud the government through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), police said.
Coleman was arrested in May for the killing of Kidada Stewart, 48, who he allegedly shot multiple times outside of her home near Fort Apache Road in February 2022, 8 News Now reported.
He was taken into custody in May 2023 after a standoff at his home, the outlet said.
The alleged hitman reportedly tracked his victims via GPS before shooting each multiple times.
He is also accused of killing Benjamin McCarty Jr. in May 2021, Marcus Larry in November 2021, William Hill in November 2022.
Michael Coleman, 40 (pictured), has been accused of working as a hitman for Carl Chester Jr., 41, who allegedly ordered him to kill in retaliation for Chester not receiving money from those he helped to defraud the government through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), police said
Coleman was hit with three new open murder charges on Tuesday, according to 8 News Now. He also faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.
Chester, a gang leader, allegedly defrauded the government of PPP loans, which were given out during the pandemic to businesses to help cover employment costs. He helped others get the loans and would take a cut of the money as his payment.
When he was not paid, Chester – who was murdered in May 2023 – threatened violence and then would hire Coleman to kill. If Coleman could not get to the target, he would kill family members, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lieutenant Jason Johannson said Tuesday.
‘As this fraudulent money that was obtained by Carl Chester and his associates was disbursed to individuals, Chester would typically receive his cut of the money for the work that he did, or how they got the lead to get the loan,’ Johannson said.
‘After tracking the victims, Michael Coleman would wait and ambush them, shooting all the victims multiple times,’ documents obtained by 8 News Now showed.
His first alleged murder, of McCarthy, happened on May 30, 2021, and was the only one of four that had no connection to Chester, according to police.
The shooting happened while the 49-year-old McCarthy was working on his car in a parking lot on Charleston Boulevard.
Coleman allegedly parked near McCarthy before he ran up to him and shot, 8 News Now reported.
Coleman is accused of killing Marcus Larry, 39, who was dining at Teriyaki Madness on Charleston Boulevard, in November 2021
Coleman’s getaway driver, Arlanders Gibson, allegedly picked up him up 15 minutes before the shooting. He was later arrested and took a plea deal, 8 News Now reported.
The shooting allegedly stemmed from the three being in a gang together, and police believe the motive was an internal problem.
Months later, Coleman is accused of going after Larry, 39, who was dining at Teriyaki Madness on Charleston Boulevard in November 2021.
He shot the man multiple times, as well as a restaurant employee, who survived, according to 8 News Now.
Larry’s cousin, Oscar Richardson Jr., was originally arrested for the murder and was accused of paying Chester for a hitman. He was later exonerated due to lack of evidence.
While officers were towing Larry’s car, they found a GPS tracker and DNA evidence that lead them to Coleman.
Coleman allegedly took a year-long break from killing before going after Hill in November 2022, when he is accused of shooting and killing the 54-year-old outside him home while he was working on a car.
Coleman allegedly pointed his gun at another person but did not shoot, documents said.
Chester, a gang leader, allegedly defrauded the government of PPP loans, which were given out during the pandemic to businesses to help cover employment costs. He helped others get the loan as well and would take a cut of the money as his payment
Hill’s wife told police her husband may have been killed due to the PPP loan fraud.
Their son, Shavonte Hill, received $42,000 from the government after lying on paperwork and saying he owned a barbershop. He pleaded guilty and is currently serving a 30-month sentence, according to 8 News Now.
Hill’s wife believed her husband was targeted because their son was already in custody.
A day later, a person reached out to the police to say that Chester was behind the murder and that Coleman had been hired as the hitman, documents said.
Police later obtained surveillance footage of a car that was linked to Coleman’s mother, 8 News Now said.
He was arrested in May after barricading himself in his home and refusing to leave, prompting a standoff with police.
Police obtained a search warrant for the alleged killer’s phone and found he used multiple email addresses and received multiple messages from a number with Vegas area code regarding Hill.
‘Detectives reviewed the conversation and believed they were discussing what ultimately would be the murder of William Hill.’ documents said. ‘Michael Coleman discussed watching [Hill’s house] … where William Hill was murdered, and being cautious so they would not get caught.’
When he was not paid, the gang leader – who was murdered in May 2023 – threatened violence and then would hire Coleman to kill them. If Coleman could not get to the target, he would allegedly kill family members
Police later learned it was Chester who Coleman was communicating with.
In May 2023, Chester was killed, police said.
In July 2023, a gun that matched cartridge casings used in Larry’s murder were found.
Police believed Coleman may also be involved in an attempted murder that took place in January 2021.
Judge Rebecca Saxe denied Coleman bail on the new charges.
Coleman has already served time in federal prison on gang charges for shooting a man in 2003 who ‘disrespected him.’
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2006 before being released sometime the 2010s. He was later placed back in jail after violating his release terms and was last released in 2017.
During his sentencing, he begged the judge to give him a second chance, writing that the ‘worst mistake of my life is or was becoming associated and involved in a gang.’
