Did Murder Suspect Leave Major Hints in Lyrics for Law Enforcement?
It’s not unusual for rap music to feature lyrics referring to violent crimes.
But authorities are looking more closely into some new songs with disturbing lyrics released by a teen who was on the run after two North Carolina high school students were found shot to death in September.
Issiah Mehki Ross, 17, was charged Monday with two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of Devin Clark, 18, and Lyric Woods, 14, whose bodies were found Sept. 18 on an ATV trail in western Orange County, according to The News & Observer in Raleigh.
In the days after the murders, Ross posted new rap songs to his SoundCloud account under the name @Mi$tr3, the News & Observer reported. The songs included a number of provocative terms, including the word “headshot” and the phrase “riding round with a new Glock.”
Another song appeared to describe a bloody crime scene: “[G]ot inside my car like I’m sipping on blood. So much red inside my car like in the Akorn I trust. Got some s*** I can’t talk about, I cannot discuss.”
Ross was arrested in Delaware on Oct. 5, but due to strict laws regarding minors, his identity was not released until a judge authorized the transfer of his case to adult court this week, the New York Post reported.
The 17-year-old is being held without bail in a juvenile detention facility and faces a possible life term in prison if convicted, according to the News & Observer.
Ross and Clark were students at Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane, WRAL-TV reported, but Ross reportedly only attended the school for six days at the beginning of the school year.
Woods was a student at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough and was known to have been friends with Clark.
North Carolina teen charged as adult in murders of Devin Clark, Lyric Woods; Motive remains a mystery https://t.co/q27D4h1gnK
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 8, 2022
Ross is believed to have fled from North Carolina to Delaware the day the two bodies were discovered, Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said.
“A juvenile petition was secured for Ross (determining) him as a suspect by processing the crime scene and surrounding area,” the sheriff said, WFMY-TV reported Monday. “These efforts led investigators to believe that Ross is responsible for the death of Clark and Woods.”
Blackwood said his office worked with the FBI to locate and detain the suspect. Ross was arrested Oct. 5 and returned to North Carolina the following week, according to the News & Observer.
Jeff Nieman, Orange County assistant district attorney, said two people in Delaware have been charged with harboring a fugitive for their role in helping Ross, WRAL reported.
Although it took nearly two months for authorities to be able to release the suspect’s name, investigators are not sharing many details about the evidence available.
“We do recognize the importance of providing information to the public but what we don’t want to do is do anything to jeopardize the proper adjudication of this case,” Nieman said, according to WRAL.
Clark’s mother, Tiffany Concepcion, said she is determined to see justice done for her murdered son.
“It was a hard push for me to wait for this day,” Devin Clark’s mother Tiffany Concepcion said. “We got a little piece of justice done…It’s a little bit of closure but it’s not a lot, because we have a lot more we have to solve in this case.” https://t.co/ooIwT9IHu7
— WFMY News 2 (@WFMY) October 6, 2022
“He never hurt anybody, so for him to get done like this is — I have to have answers,” Concepcion said, the News & Observer reported.
Ross’ next court appearance is set for Tuesday, according to WFMY.
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