The Malcolm Stuckey murder case involves the May 29, 2014, shooting death of a 19-year-old college student who was struck by gunfire while attending a birthday party in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. Two members of the Black Disciples street gang were charged in his killing, including Dayvon Bennett, later known as the rapper King Von. Both were acquitted of Stuckey’s murder. Years later, federal investigators traced the pistol used in the shooting to a Mississippi man who had funneled at least 32 guns to Chicago, and he was sentenced to federal prison.
Who Malcolm Stuckey Was
Malcolm Jamar Stuckey was born on February 24, 1995, and grew up in suburban Chicago. He graduated from Crete-Monee High School in May 2013, where he had played basketball since childhood, and went on to enroll at Joliet Junior College and later South Suburban College.1Rolling Out. Malcolm Stuckey’s Mom Bouschelle Stokes Mourns His Untimely Death Family and friends said he was an honor roll student with no criminal record and no gang ties.2Chicago Tribune. Man Given 5½ Years in Prison for Selling Guns Used in Gang Shootings, Homicide He worked as a janitor at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.3Youth Today. A Pistol Bought in Mississippi Killed a Teen in Chicago
What Happened at the Englewood Party
The shooting took place at a birthday party held for the son of a woman named Lamenda Jones at 5722 South LaSalle Street in Englewood. Prosecutors said Dayvon Bennett, then 19, and his associate Michael Wade, 23, spotted a rival gang member at the party. Jones confronted Bennett and told him not to start trouble in her house. Bennett said he wasn’t “on that,” smiled, and left.4DNAinfo Chicago. Second Man Charged in Murder of Malcolm Stuckey
About an hour later, the pair returned. According to witness accounts and Wade’s later statement to police, Bennett phoned someone at the party and told them to take the children inside. Prosecutors alleged that Bennett carried a .40-caliber Smith and Wesson pistol and Wade carried a .40-caliber Glock. The two opened fire on a group standing on a porch, and Bennett allegedly chased a rival toward the street shouting “Why you running?” as he fired.5Illinois Courts. People v. Wade, 2021 IL App (1st) 181019-U Wade admitted firing 15 or 16 shots at another man, Timothy Robinson.
Stuckey had come to the party to meet a friend, Marquis Carpenter, who was going to help him sell his vehicle. A witness described him as standing near a gate on the west side of LaSalle Street, looking as though he had no idea what was happening when a gunman turned and shot him in the head. He was struck by several bullets, including one under his right ear, and was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:35 p.m.4DNAinfo Chicago. Second Man Charged in Murder of Malcolm Stuckey The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds.
Two others were wounded. Carpenter, 23, was shot in the leg and the face, breaking his jaw, and was hospitalized for a month and a half.5Illinois Courts. People v. Wade, 2021 IL App (1st) 181019-U A 24-year-old man was shot in the foot.
Who Was Charged
Wade was charged on July 22, 2014, with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.6Chicago Tribune. Man Charged in May Shooting That Left 1 Dead, 2 Hurt Bennett was charged two days later with the same offenses. Both were ordered held without bail.4DNAinfo Chicago. Second Man Charged in Murder of Malcolm Stuckey
How Both Defendants Were Acquitted of the Murder
Wade and Bennett were tried at the same time in separate jury trials. The case against Bennett turned on Wade, who had agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against him. Wade withdrew that promise.3Youth Today. A Pistol Bought in Mississippi Killed a Teen in Chicago Without his testimony, the case against Bennett collapsed. Bennett was acquitted of first-degree murder and both counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.5Illinois Courts. People v. Wade, 2021 IL App (1st) 181019-U
Wade’s jury also acquitted him of murdering Stuckey and of the aggravated battery charge tied to Carpenter. He was convicted of aggravated battery with a firearm for shooting Timothy Robinson, and sentenced to 28 years in prison. He received an additional 12 years for backing out of his plea agreement to testify against Bennett.7Mississippi Today. Dixie Pipeline: Guns Bought in Mississippi Often Reach Chicago Streets
Wade’s Appeal
On December 17, 2021, the Appellate Court of Illinois reversed Wade’s conviction for aggravated battery with a firearm, finding that the evidence did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Robinson had actually been shot. The court remanded the case for resentencing on the lesser offense of aggravated discharge of a firearm. It upheld the trial court’s refusal to suppress Wade’s inculpatory statement to police, ruling the statement was not the product of coercion.5Illinois Courts. People v. Wade, 2021 IL App (1st) 181019-U
What Happened to King Von After the Acquittal
After his acquittal, Bennett pursued a rap career under the name King Von and became a prominent figure in Chicago drill music. Federal prosecutors later alleged in filings tied to another case that Bennett had been involved in additional gang violence, including the 2014 killing of 17-year-old Gakirah Barnes, though he was never charged in that case.8Chicago Sun-Times. FBG Duck, King Von, Gakirah Barnes On November 6, 2020, at age 26, Bennett was shot and killed outside the Monaco Hookah Lounge in downtown Atlanta after an altercation between rival groups. Timothy Leeks was charged with his murder.9XXL Magazine. Quando Rondo King Von Murder Interview
How the Gun Reached Chicago
Federal investigators traced the .40-caliber Smith and Wesson pistol used in Stuckey’s killing to Jonathan Smalley, a Mississippi resident who bought the weapon from a licensed dealer in Natchez on March 29, 2014, exactly two months before the shooting.3Youth Today. A Pistol Bought in Mississippi Killed a Teen in Chicago After the Stuckey homicide, the same gun was linked to a second Chicago shooting and was recovered by police in March 2015 during a street stop of a gang member.2Chicago Tribune. Man Given 5½ Years in Prison for Selling Guns Used in Gang Shootings, Homicide
Smalley had been buying firearms from licensed dealers in the Natchez area since 2009, accumulating at least 32 guns over seven years. He bought them one at a time, passing background checks, then illegally transported or mailed them to buyers in Chicago, including relatives and gang members he knew to be convicted felons.10Mississippi Today. A Pistol Bought in Mississippi Killed a Teen in Chicago He was arrested in May 2016 while trying to deliver a firearm to his brother-in-law, a convicted felon. ATF agents uncovered text messages between Smalley and his brother, a reputed gang member, discussing gun and ammunition purchases; in one message, the brother admitted to shooting someone. Chicago police recovered 11 of Smalley’s guns in the city. He pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transport of a firearm and was sentenced in May 2018 to 64 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman.2Chicago Tribune. Man Given 5½ Years in Prison for Selling Guns Used in Gang Shootings, Homicide
Stuckey’s Mother and the Aftermath
Stuckey’s mother, Bouschelle Stokes, became an advocate for families affected by gun violence after her son’s death. She joined SISTERHOOD, a support group for mothers who have lost children to gun violence, and took part in the National Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence held in Chicago in December 2015.11Homicide Watch Chicago. Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence In a 2016 interview, she said, “I don’t want anyone else to ever have to deal with this pain.”1Rolling Out. Malcolm Stuckey’s Mom Bouschelle Stokes Mourns His Untimely Death No one has been convicted of killing her son.