A suspected Nevada hitman used GPS to track his victims before shooting them multiple times in public.
Michael Coleman, 40, of Las Vegas, is accused of working as a hitman for Carl Chester Jr., 41, and allegedly ordering him to kill in retaliation for Chester not receiving money from those he helped defraud the government through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), police said.
Coleman was arrested in May for the murder of Kidada Stewart, 48, whom he allegedly shot multiple times outside her home near Fort Apache Road in February 2022. 8 News Now reported.
He was arrested in May 2023 after a confrontation at his home, the outlet reported.
The alleged hitman is said to have tracked his victims via GPS before shooting them multiple times.
He is also accused of murdering Benjamin McCarty Jr. in May 2021, Marcus Larry in November 2021, and William Hill in November 2022.
Michael Coleman, 40 (pictured), is 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 defraud the government through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), police said.
Coleman was facing three new outstanding murder charges Tuesday, 8 News Now reported. He is also charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Chester, a gang leader, allegedly defrauded the government of PPP loans, which were given to businesses during the pandemic to cover labor costs. He helped others get the loans and would take a portion of the money as his payment.
When he wasn’t paid, Chester — who was killed in May 2023 — threatened violence and hired Coleman to kill. If Coleman couldn’t reach the target, he would kill family members, Lt. Jason Johannson of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Tuesday.
“Because this fraudulent money obtained by Carl Chester and his associates was paid out to individuals, Chester typically got his share of the money for the work he did, or for the way they got the tip for the loan,” Johannson said.
“After Michael Coleman located the victims, he waited for them and attacked them, shooting each victim multiple times,” according to documents obtained by 8 News Now.
His first alleged murder, of McCarthy, occurred on May 30, 2021, and was the only one of four not connected to Chester, police said.
The shooting occurred while McCarthy, 49, was working on his car in a parking lot on Charleston Boulevard.
Coleman allegedly parked near McCarthy before running toward him and shooting, 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, reportedly picked him up 15 minutes before the shooting. He was later arrested and received a plea deal, 8 News Now reported.
The shooting is said to have been the result of the three forming a gang together. The police suspect that the motive was an internal problem.
Months later, Coleman is accused of stalking Larry, 39, who dined at Teriyaki Madness on Charleston Boulevard in November 2021.
He shot the man and a restaurant employee several times, who survived the accident, 8 News Now reports.
Larry’s cousin, Oscar Richardson Jr., was originally arrested for the murder and accused of paying Chester for a hitman. He was later acquitted due to lack of evidence.
While officers were towing Larry’s car, they found a GPS tracker and DNA evidence that led them to Coleman.
Coleman allegedly went a year without attempting to kill anyone before going after Hill in November 2022. He is accused of fatally shooting the 54-year-old man outside his home while he was working on a car.
According to the documents, Coleman pointed his gun at another person but did not fire.
Chester, a gang leader, allegedly defrauded the government of PPP loans, which were given to businesses during the pandemic to cover labor costs. He also helped others get the loan and would take a portion of the money as his payment
Hill’s wife told police her husband may have been killed because of the PPP loan fraud.
Their son, Shavonte Hill, received $42,000 from the government after lying on paper and saying he owned a barbershop. He pleaded guilty and is currently serving a 30-month prison sentence, 8 News Now reports.
Hill’s wife thought her husband was being targeted because their son was already in custody.
A day later, someone contacted police and said Chester was behind the killing and that Coleman had been hired as a hitman, the documents state.
Police later obtained surveillance footage of a car associated with Coleman’s mother, 8 News Now reported.
He was arrested in May after barricading himself in his home and refusing to leave, leading to a confrontation with police.
Police obtained a search warrant for the alleged killer’s phone and found that he used multiple email addresses and received multiple messages from a number with the Vegas area code about Hill.
“Detectives reviewed the conversation and believed they were discussing what would eventually become the murder of William Hill,” the documents said. “Michael Coleman discussed watching [Hill’s house] …where William Hill was murdered, and they were careful not to get caught.’
When he wasn’t paid, the gang leader — who was murdered in May 2023 — threatened violence and then hired Coleman to kill them. If Coleman couldn’t reach the target, he would kill family members.
Police later learned that Coleman was communicating with Chester.
According to police, Chester was murdered in May 2023.
In July 2023, a weapon was found that matched the casings used in Larry’s murder.
Police suspect Coleman is also involved in an attempted murder that took place in January 2021.
Judge Rebecca Saxe refused to grant Coleman bail on the new charges.
Coleman has already served time in federal prison for gang involvement, allegedly shooting a man in 2003 who “showed him disrespect.”
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2006 before being released sometime in the 2010s. He was later returned to prison after violating his release conditions and was last released in 2017.
During sentencing, he begged the judge to give him a second chance, writing that the “biggest mistake of my life was joining a gang.”