Howard County man pleads guilty in murder-for-hire plot

BALTIMORE -- A Howard County man has pled guilty in connection with a murder-for-hire conspiracy, the U.S. State's Attorney's Office said Thursday.

Officials said that on September 12, 2020, 28-year-old Jourdain Larose of Ellicott City allegedly gave a gun to a co-conspirator in order to carry out the murder of 23-year-old Juan Ross, of Columbia.

Federal officials said Larose found out that the murder had not been committed, and contacted 27-year-old Tyrik Braxton to carry out the killing instead.  

Court documents say Larose also texted a phone number linked to 21-year-old Daquante Thomas with the address where Ross could be found.      

On October 4, Baxton, Thomas, and another co-conspirator drove to the area of Basket Ring Court in Columbia to find Ross, before heading to a nearby drug store, according to court documents, 

That's where officials say Braxton got out of the car and left the area.  A short time later, Thomas and the co-conspirator allegedly returned to Basket Ring Court, and shot and killed Ross, before driving away together. 

Braxton pled guilty to discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death, and is expected to be sentenced to between 20 and 25 years in prison.

Thomas was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the same charge, after admitting to being one of the shooters in a guilty plea.