A double-cross scam allegedly led to a fatal CT shooting. The man who got fake ‘cocaine’ faces trial
On a summer night in 2016, amid a group of people outside an Enfield Street apartment in Hartford’s North End, gunshots rang out and a 19-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman were killed.
On Tuesday morning, 31-year-old Brandon Letman will face a jury in Hartford Superior Court for his alleged part in the in the case, nearly eight years after the deadly shooting, which was allegedly prompted by a scam involving fake drugs and a fake gun.
Letman, also known as “Killah” or “Murder,” has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges in connection with the fatal shootings of Cameron “Cado” Mounds Jr. and Ashley Spence, and the shooting of another man, Harold “Oink” Cook, who survived the gunfire that came after one of the victims and the shooter each tried to scam the other, according to court records.
Hartford police charge New Britain man with 2016 double slaying
At 7:24 p.m. on June 21, 2016, police in Hartford responded to reports of multiple people shot outside a home at 97 Enfield St. Spence and Mounds were rushed to hospitals, where they were both pronounced dead.
For two years investigators worked the case, chasing down different leads and interviewing confidential witnesses who saw the shooting play out. Multiple witnesses told investigators that shortly before Letman allegedly opened fire on the group, he and Mounds had both duped each other in a trade — Mounds gave Letman fake cocaine, who traded him a fake gun for the fake drugs, according to Letman’s arrest warrant affidavit.
Fake gun, drug trade sparked 2016 double fatal shooting in North End, police say
The lengthy investigation into the shooting began with many possible suspects other than Letman, who one-by-one were ruled out, documents show.
Detectives spoke with Letman, who admitted to meeting with Mounds for the trade the day of the shooting. He told police that he was at a relative’s house on West Raymond Street, allegedly texting Mounds about trading cocaine for a gun. Cell phone data pulled from Letman’s phone showed the two exchanged multiple messages about the trade, according to his warrant affidavit.
After meeting to make the arranged trade on Enfield Street, Letman allegedly went back to his relative’s house and had someone try the cocaine, learning that it was “completely fake,” the warrant affidavit said.
Letman told police he stayed at his relative’s house and then walked to the CTfastrak bus station and took a bus to New Britain, but witnesses told police a different account of that evening.
More than half a dozen witnesses, many coaxed into confidentially providing details, said the incident began that afternoon.
One witness told police that they were with Mounds and Spence the day of the homicides when Mounds allegedly “wanted to trade fake drugs to a kid from New Britain in exchange for a .40 caliber handgun.”
But after they made the trade, they alleged that Letman and someone called “Little S” came back to the Enfield Street house asking for Mounds.
A series of witnesses described the same scene to investigators: Mounds was fatally shot as he tried to run, according to the warrant affidavit.
Spence and Cook also were hit with gunfire before Letman and the other man took off running.
Letman was arrested in December 2019 and was initially charged with two counts of murder, murder with special circumstances, first-degree assault and criminal possession of a firearm.
The charges have been changed and he will got to trial on two counts of accessory to commit murder, accessory to commit murder of multiple victims, criminal possession of a firearm, conspiracy to tamper with a witness and two counts of tampering with a witness, court records show.
Letman has a criminal history that includes a conviction in August 2014 for assault on a public safety officer and other convictions for violation of probation and possession of a controlled substance, according to court records.