Apr 17, 2009 11:18 pm US/Eastern
Baltimore Drug Dealer Convicted In Witness Slaying
BALTIMORE (WJZ/AP) ―
-
-
A Baltimore drug dealer has been convicted of using a contraband cell phone from jail to orchestrate the death of a witness against him.
A Baltimore drug dealer has been convicted of using a contraband cell phone from jail to orchestrate the death of a witness against him.
Mike Hellgren reports Patrick Byers, 23, now faces the possibility of the death penalty after being convicted on eight of the nine counts in a federal indictment.
Byers' loved ones were distraught outside the federal courthouse minutes after learning he'll never again be a free man.
Jurors found him guilty of using a cell phone he smuggled behind bars to order the murder of Carl Lackl.
It's one of the nation's most brazen cases of witness intimidation. The killing happened just days before Lackl was set to testify he saw Byers murder a man.
Byers paid Bloods gang members $2,300 for the hit.
The family of Lackl's longtime girlfriend is happy with the verdict.
"The side of the family that I'm speaking for is relieved that it's finally over with," said one family member.
Byers was calm as the jury foreman read the decision, but his cousin isn't happy with the possibility of the death penalty.
"I don't agree with the death penalty. I don't agree that human beings have a right to say who dies and who lives because how do you put a value on anybody's life? I have two brothers who were shot dead. The person that killed them did not get the death penalty. So who's to say that Mr. Lackl's life is worth more than my brothers' lives," said Tyrice Cole, Byers' cousin.
Byers was acquitted of one handgun charge. And while he could get the death penalty, he will get a minimum of life in prison.
"I believe in an eye for an eye, and maybe if it happens to more people, things like this would stop," said Lackl's girlfriend's family member.
Lackl was a 38-year-old single father. He was gunned down in a drive-by shooting outside his home in Rosedale.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
WJZ.COM's Most Popular Slideshows
Shocking Celebrity Suicides
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments