U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp has sentenced Moreion Lindsey, 35, of St. Louis County, Missouri, to life imprisonment for his involvement in a murder-for-hire scheme culminating in the murder of Titus Armstead in 2022. Lindsey was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire in January by a jury in St. Louis.
The court heard that Lindsey had been contracted by Jerome Williams, acting at the behest of Ray Bradley, a Seattle-based drug trafficker. Bradley had falsely accused Armstead of stealing drugs and money from a stash house in New Jersey. In an elaborate scheme, Armstead was lured to St. Louis under the pretenses of protection, only to be murdered.
Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Lindsey picked Armstead up from the airport, drove him to Penrose Park, and fatally shot him with a .45-caliber handgun. Lindsey then photographed the body to confirm the act to Williams and Bradley. For his role, Lindsey received $15,000. He subsequently attempted to cover his tracks by reporting the SUV used in the crime as stolen and purchased a new one with part of his payment.
In a heartfelt letter to the court, Armstead's sister lamented Lindsey's choices, stating, “In a world full of limitless opportunities... why choose a path of destruction and harm?” She expressed sorrow for Lindsey's decision, highlighting the personal losses it entailed for his family.
Williams, 52, who admitted to destroying evidence to obstruct the inquiry, recently received a sentence of 138 months in prison. Meanwhile, Bradley, 46, accepted responsibility for conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and cocaine distribution and received a 25-year prison sentence.
The FBI, alongside the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Atlanta Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, led the investigation.
