Alleged shooter goes to trial after three plead in Alabama man’s Columbus slaying
Only the alleged shooter will be tried for murder in the shooting of a Montgomery, Alabama man who came to Columbus looking for companionship before he was left dying in the street.
Lydell Maynard “Trapa” Sparks will go to trial Monday in the June 22, 2020, slaying of Travis Henry Jr., who was shot in his BMW and left in the road as his car was stolen.
Police charged three other suspects in the case, but they have pleaded guilty to lesser offenses, and agreed to testify against Sparks next week in his trial before Superior Court Judge John Martin.
The first to plead guilty, on May 26, was Terreona Rhakaleb Horton, 22, accused of using Facebook to lure Henry here with the promise of romance, after noticing his posts showed he had money.
Horton pleaded to armed robbery. Her recommended sentence is 20 years in prison with eight to serve and the rest on probation.
Two more pleas
Two more defendants pleaded Thursday:
- Wayman L. McMillian, 27, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and being a convicted felon with a firearm. His recommended sentence is 15 years with eight to serve and the rest on probation. Court records showed he was charged with the firearms offense because he had a rifle and a Glock pistol when police arrested him Dec. 31, 2020, and he had a burglary conviction from Feb. 10, 2017.
- Kalaya Sumter, 19, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, and her recommended sentence is 15 years with six years to serve and the rest on probation.
Those pleading guilty will not be sentenced until the trial is over.
Besides murder, Sparks, 21, is charged with armed robbery, using a firearm to commit a felony, and possessing a gun while he was a first offender on probation. He has a Dec. 12, 2019 conviction for aggravated battery, prosecutors said.
The scheme
Police said officers called at 7:19 a.m. to 17th Avenue and Nina Street found Henry, 22, shot in the road, where he was pronounced dead 23 minutes later. Authorities initially did not know who he was, because he had no identification on him.
Detectives testifying at Horton’s July 9, 2020, preliminary hearing said Horton exchanged messages with Henry on Facebook, and arranged to meet him first at Columbus at Whisperwood Apartments on Flat Rock Road.
After Henry was robbed of his BMW, the car was left in Alabama near a home belonging to one of Horton’s relatives, police said.
This story was originally published June 10, 2022 at 12:51 PM.