A man found shot to death near Rose Canyon Lake earlier this month had been lured to Tucson with the promise he was going to be performing in a rap show, court records show.
Four men have been arrested in the killing of Malik Brooks, 24. Brooks was found with βobvious signs of traumaβ near Rose Canyon Lake on April 2, a news release from the Pima County Sheriffβs Office said.
Four men have been arrested in the killing: Muhidin Kassim, 21; Quinton Holt, 23; Dereck Ashe, 19; and Christopher Ellis, 22.
Holt and Kassim were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Ashe was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and misconduct involving weapons. All three men were booked into the Pima County jail. Ellis was arrested in Belton, Texas with help from the U.S. Marshals Service. He remains jailed there, the release said.
Investigators learned Brooks was lured to Tucson under the ruse that he was going to be performing in a rap show at a local music venue, said an interim complaint filed in Pima County Justice Court. Holt was named as one of the individuals who reportedly help set up the ruse.
Authorities learned about the plan after they listened to El Paso County Detention Center calls where unidentified individuals were discussing Brooks, the complaint said. During a call on April 1, Holt and another individual said they were working on some stuff in Tucson.
It was also discovered that Brooks was last known to be alive in Tucson after he had taken an Uber to a residence that was associated with Holt and his parents, the complaint said. Detectives say Holt denied ever being with Brooks after they confronted him about the Uber drop off.
Holt was then told about the jail conversations that indicated he knew about the plan. Holt admitted to being associated with the individuals involved but told detectives that he did not know about the plan, the court documents says. He also said one of the men accused in the killing was mad at Brooks over money, the complaint said.
Another individual who was interviewed told investigators Holt called him and and said Brooks had been killed. Holt then reportedly told the individual that Brooks was killed on Mount Lemmon and was shot two times in the head, the complaint said.
When asked who was there at the time of the shooting, an unidentified person told investigators it was Holt, Kassim and Ashe. The person claimed Holt was the shooter, the complaint said.
Kassim told authorities that he was with Ashe, Holt and a man he didnβt know in a vehicle. He described the man as skinny and having dreadlocks. He told investigators the man talked about getting to a show. Kassim then went on to say he was dropped off at a house with Ashe, the complaint said.
Aside from the dread locks, the other descriptors Kassim used described Brooks, the complaint said.
Authorities said that everything Kassim said placed him and Ashe in the vehicle with individuals linked to the phone calls that discussed specifics about the killing, the complaint said.
