Inmate uses jail’s phone to try to set up a ‘gang-related murder,’ Florida cops say

An inmate facing armed robbery-related charges used the jail’s phone to try to set up a “gang-related murder,” according to investigators in North Florida.

Jebea Johnson, 22, of Palm Coast, used “coded gang language” to arrange the killing, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said in a Nov. 15 news release. The plan was thwarted when detectives deciphered the messages.

“Detectives ... were made aware of a series of phone calls from the jail between Johnson and family members in which Johnson detailed gang activity and instructed a family member to relay a message through social media to place a hit on a victim who had been trying to leave the gang,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Detectives analyzed the calls and confirmed that Johnson had used multiple terms used by criminal street gangs and had ordered the victim to be killed. ... People interviewed confirmed they had sent the message on Johnson’s behalf but stated they were unaware of the coded gang language contained in the message.”

The intended victim had been an inmate at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility with Johnson, who was being held without bond on charges related to attacking a convenience store clerk during an attempted armed robbery, the sheriff’s office said.

Detectives say Johnson tried to recruit the victim into the Kutt Throat Committee, a ”criminal street gang” with members in prison and on the streets.

“This guy thought he could order a hit from the (jail) without us catching him,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in the release. “Not only did we know the lingo he was using, but we have the conversation recorded.”

Johnson has been charged with solicitation to commit first-degree murder–gang related and unlawful use of a two-way communications device, the sheriff’s office said.

His prior charges include “attempted robbery with a firearm, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, burglary, aggravated battery causing bodily harm/disability, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill,” officials said.

Flagler County is about a 70-mile drive south from Jacksonville.

This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 7:20 AM with the headline "Inmate uses jail’s phone to try to set up a ‘gang-related murder,’ Florida cops say."