Hearing set for suspect in robbery linked to Lake Wylie double homicide
A federal judge has ordered a court hearing next month for a convicted felon with Bloods gang ties charged in connection with the armed robbery of a Charlotte mattress store owned by a Lake Wylie couple, who were later shot and killed in their lakefront home.
Jamell Cureton, 22, is demanding that charges against him be dropped because of what was seized by federal agents from his jail cell in January.
U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn on Tuesday ordered the hearing for 10:30 a.m. May 13 at the federal courthouse in Charlotte, court documents show.
The FBI has claimed that the killings are tied to gangs and to the May robbery of Doug and Debbie London, and any decision on Cureton’s robbery charges could be key to whether he could face additional charges connected to the double homicide. Cureton has been in jail since the alleged robbery, during which Doug London shot him.
In October, five months after the robbery, the Londons were gunned down in what prosecutors say was an attempt to keep Doug London from testifying against Cureton and his brother, Nana Adoma, 20, the alleged lookout in the robbery, and David Fudge, 22, another Bloods gang member police have said drove the getaway car. None of the three has been charged in connection with the killings.
In late January, police charged Malcolm Hartley, 21, of Charlotte, and his girlfriend, Briana Johnson, 19, of Concord, N.C., with murder in connection with the killings. Investigators then confirmed the killings were tied to the robbery. Both could face the death penalty if convicted.
On Jan. 12, just days before Hartley and Johnson were charged, FBI agents investigating the killings seized materials from Cureton’s cell at the Mecklenburg County Jail. Among the items seized were photographs of lawyers and judges, prompting federal authorities to order protective measures for the judges and lawyers.
Cureton’s lawyer, Chiege Okwara, claims the items seized from Cureton’s cell are protected under attorney-client privilege. She has asked the judge to dismiss all charges against him and set him free.
This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Hearing set for suspect in robbery linked to Lake Wylie double homicide."