Jury reaches verdict in Columbus murder trial over Alabama man’s shooting
Jurors have delivered a verdict in the trial of a Columbus man accused of killing a Montgomery, Alabama, visitor two women lured here via Facebook messenger before he was shot.
Lydell Maynard “Trapa” Sparks was tried on charges of felony murder, armed robbery and using a gun to commit a crime. After two hours’ deliberation, the jury found him guilty on all counts.
Sparks, 21, now faces a maximum of life in prison without parole, prosecutors said. Superior Court Judge John Martin has not yet scheduled Sparks’ sentencing, nor those of his codefendants.
Sparks wiped tears from his eyes as deputies led him from the courtroom. Some of his supporters also wept, and one lost her composure outside in a Government Center hallway, cursing loudly and eventually rushing to the restroom to throw up.
More than a dozen people from Henry’s family were in the courtroom. They hugged and cried, upon hearing the verdict, having sat through every day of the weeklong trial.
The scheme
Sparks was among four suspects accused of robbing and killing 22-year-old Travis Henry Jr. after codefendants Terreona Horton and Kalaya Sumter flirted with the victim on Facebook, eventually enticing him to come to Columbus on June 21, 2020.
He got to Columbus in his black BMW around 9 p.m., was shot sometime after 11:30 p.m., and was found dead about eight hours later at the intersection of 17th Avenue and Nina Street, where police found him face-down at the curb, with a wad of money, a silver necklace and a cloth gun holster either on him or lying nearby.
Finding his Facebook exchanges with Horton and Sumter, investigators questioned the two women, who implicated Sparks and a fourth suspect, Wayman McMillian, who also was charged with murder, initially.
All but Sparks pleaded guilty and agreed to testify, but upon taking the witness stand, none admitted to planning a robbery. Horton and Sumter testified that Sparks on his own decided to rob and shoot Henry. McMillian said he knew of no robbery scheme, and didn’t see the shooting, because it was too dark and he was too far away.
The lead investigator in Henry’s homicide, Detective Sherman Hayes, testified that Horton and Sumter both detailed the robbery plan, under police questioning, and described the roles Sparks and McMillian played in it.
Hayes said Henry had attracted their notice because he posted Facebook photos showing he had money, fashionable clothes and nice cars, Hayes said, adding Sparks saw the pictures and told Horton that Henry would “make a good lick,” or target for robbery.
Henry met the four at Whisperwood Apartments on Flat Rock Road, where Horton got into Henry’s BMW to go to the Chattahoochee RiverWalk downtown, with the others following in Horton’s Volkswagen Jetta, Hayes said.
Sumter and Horton told police the four had planned to rob Henry where they parked on Bay Avenue near a playground and splash pad, but too many people were present, so they had to find another spot.
They left downtown and drove through midtown to Nina Street and 17th Avenue, near the Farley Homes housing complex, and parked there in the dark.
The shooting
Hayes said Sumter told investigators McMillian got out of the Volkswagen and hid in the bushes as Sparks, holding a pistol, had Sumter walk in front of him as they approached the BMW, where Sparks pointed the gun at Henry as Horton got out.
“All I heard was Mr. Sparks say, ‘Give me everything you got,’” Sumter testified.
Hayes said Henry had a gun in the cloth holster at his waistband, so he likely reached for it as Sparks shot him across the upper torso,. then pulled him from the driver’s seat and drove the BMW to Phenix City, with the others following in the Volkswagen.
Sparks left the car at a spot Horton picked out on Brickyard Road in Phenix City, where she had relatives, and he wiped it down with a shirt before leaving in the Volkswagen with the others, the detective said.
From there they went to the boat ramp at Columbus’ Rotary Park, off Victory Drive, where Sparks walked to the river and threw in items he’d taken from the BMW, including three iPhones and a diamond bracelet, according to testimony from Sumter, who said Sparks kept Henry’s handgun.
Here are the codefendants’ pleas and recommended sentences:
- Sumter, 19, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. Her recommended sentence is 15 years with six years to serve and the rest on probation.
- Horton pleaded May 26 to armed robbery. Her recommended sentence is 20 years in prison with eight to serve and the rest on probation.
- McMillian, 27, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and being a convicted felon with a firearm. His recommended sentence of 15 years with eight to serve and the rest on probation.
This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 12:26 PM.