NORFOLK, Va. — A jury convicted four Greensboro, North Carolina, men for their roles in a murder-for-hire plot that killed a Norfolk woman in 2016.
Lillian Bond, 59, was found dead outside her home on Trice Terrace in April 2016.
According to court documents, the defendants were charged for their roles in a long-running drug conspiracy allegedly led by Jaquate Simpson and based in the Greensboro, North Carolina, area.
Court documents showed that during the conspiracy, a Norfolk-based drug dealer who had been buying cocaine from the conspiracy failed to pay for a multi-kilogram delivery.
The indictment showed that, as payback, Simpson and his right-hand man, Landis Jackson, hired Kalub Shipman and Nelson Evans to murder someone associated with the Norfolk drug dealer, and that on April 19, 2016, Shipman and Evans shot Bond to death.
The federal jury found each defendant guilty on the following charges:
Jaquate Simpson, 38
- Continuing criminal enterprise;
- murder while engaged in continuing criminal enterprise;
- narcotics conspiracy;
- murder while engaged in a drug-trafficking offense;
- distribution of cocaine;
- use of a firearm resulting in death;
- conspiracy to commit murder for hire;
- murder for hire
Landis Jackson, 38
- Continuing criminal enterprise;
- murder while engaged in continuing criminal enterprise;
- narcotics conspiracy;
- murder while engaged in a drug-trafficking offense;
- distribution of cocaine; use of a firearm resulting in death;
- conspiracy to commit murder for hire;
- murder for hire
Kalub Shipman, 35
- Murder while engaged in a drug-trafficking offense;
- use of a firearm resulting in death;
- conspiracy to commit murder for hire;
- murder for hire;
- felon in possession of a firearm
Nelson Evans, 32
- Use of a firearm resulting in death;
- conspiracy to commit murder for hire;
- murder for hire
“This day has been a long time coming, especially for the family of Lillian Bond. This drug enterprise took the life of an innocent person, a woman well known to be kind and compassionate to her friends and family, and I hope that today’s verdict brings some measure of justice to her family,” said Jessica D. Aber, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We are committed to continuing to work with our federal and state law enforcement partners to reduce the amount of drug-related violence in our communities.”
The four men face mandatory life sentences.
John A. Rockecharlie, the attorney for Nelson Evans, released the following statement to News 3:
"On behalf of Nelson Evans we are grateful for the time, attention and energy the jury gave to this proceeding. We respect the jury's decision but we certainly had hoped for a different outcome and we are obviously disappointed."
The attorney representing Landis Jackson said, "Bill Dinkin and I did our best to represent Mr. Jackson, and will continue to do so."
Matthew Engle, the attorney for Kalub Shipman, declined to comment on the case. An attorney listed for Jaquate Simpson did not respond to an email seeking comment.
