God Angels Bless Our Streets

NORFOLK

In December 2015, Anthony “Ace” Foye told a Portsmouth woman her son had taken a trip.

And Al-Tariq Tynes did, according to court documents. Just not one from which he would ever return.

Foye, a known “hitter” with the Nine Trey Gangsters, shot and killed 27-year-old Tynes on Dec. 10, 2015, hid his body in the trunk of the man’s Lexus and drove around with it for several days. Another gang member eventually dumped the body in a ditch in Chesapeake, court documents said.

Foye and fellow gang member Alvaughn “LB” Davis pleaded guilty Tuesday to felonies related to a bloody 18-day crime spree across Hampton Roads that claimed the lives of five people and left four others injured.

Foye confessed to personally killing four people in exchange for a mandatory life sentence. In exchange for an expected 45-year sentence, Davis, a more senior member of the gang, confessed to helping Foye and others with some of the homicides.

Charges are pending against the other two people arrested last year in connection to the spree: Antonio “Murdock” Simmons and Nathaniel “Savage” Mitchell.

Earlier this month, prosecutors said they were still trying to decide whether they would seek the death penalty in this case. The final decision, they said, was up to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and he has since decided not to seek the death penalty in any of the cases.

According to court documents, the four men were members of the Nine Trey Gangsters, an affiliate of the United Bloods Nation that operated primarily in Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Norfolk. Of the four, Foye and Mitchell held the lowest rank, Davis outranked those two, and Simmons outranked them all.

During the fall of 2015, Foye and Mitchell were trying to gain a reputation as “hitters” – gang members who were willing to shoot people. Court documents said successful hits enhanced the reputation of the shooter and the gang as a whole, by keeping rival gang members and even ordinary citizens on edge.

The crime spree that swept across Hampton Roads in December 2015 was tied in part to problems Simmons was having with higher-up members of the United Bloods Nation. According to court documents, each affiliate, or “set,” is required to pay regular dues to higher-ranking members, and Simmons was behind.

Failure to pay the dues, often referred to as “babylove,” can lead to the demotion or punishment of a member, documents said.

Prosecutors said Foye was directly responsible for the deaths of Tynes, 27; Vandalet Mercer, 27; Linda Lassiter, 49; and Wayne Davis, 49.

He is not directly tied to the death of a fifth person referenced in the indictment: Jamesha Roberts, 25. Prosecutors blamed Mitchell for that homicide

The first homicide mentioned in the court documents involved Tynes, whose body was discovered Jan. 4, 2016, near Rotunda Avenue in Chesapeake.

Foye developed a plan in November 2015 to rob Tynes, who was one of his friends, the documents said. Tynes sold marijuana but was not an “official member” of the gang.

Foye and Davis discussed robbing him on Nov. 28, 2015, but decided not to when they realized the drugs were in Tynes’ car and the vehicle had an alarm system.

Foye, however, met up with Tynes again on Dec. 10, 2015. That night, he killed Tynes and stole his money, jewelry and a .380 caliber handgun. Foye then put Tynes’ body in the trunk “and continued driving the car around Portsmouth,” court documents said.

“After driving Tynes’ Lexus for several days, with Tynes’ body still in the trunk, Foye contacted Davis and asked (him) to help him dispose of the body,” the documents said.

In a September interview, Tynes’ mother, Kisha Tynes-Wilson, said Foye reached out to the family on Facebook after her son’s disappearance and said he had taken a trip.

The next homicide involved the Dec. 15, 2015, death of Mercer. Davis drove Foye and Mitchell to a house in the Lincoln Park neighborhood that was often used for illegal gambling, court documents said.

Foye was carrying a Glock handgun, and Mitchell had the gun that was stolen from Tynes, the documents said. Both men got out of Davis’ car and fired shots before getting back inside.

When police arrived a few minutes later, they found Mercer dead and another person injured.

Lassiter and Davis were killed Dec. 20 while driving in the Cavalier Manor neighborhood in Portsmouth. According to court documents, however, the dual homicide stemmed from an earlier argument Foye had with a man Nov. 26, 2015, outside the home of Lassiter’s daughter.

The man with whom Foye was arguing threatened Foye, court documents said. Foye was unarmed at the time but returned with a gun and shot at the daughter’s home. Lassiter was almost hit, documents said.

Several days later, Foye came back to the house and confronted the daughter and her boyfriend. He accused them of “putting his name out” as the shooter, documents said.

Court documents also link Davis, Foye and Mitchell to a Dec. 27, 2015, shooting on Reid Street in Portsmouth. Foye and Mitchell shot the ex-girlfriend of a man who headed another Nine Trey Gangster set as part of a dispute.c