Rich Porter’s brother was William “Donnell” Porter, a 12-year-old boy who was kidnapped on his way to school in Harlem on December 5, 1989, tortured by his abductors as they demanded ransom from his older brother, and murdered. His body was found in the Bronx on January 28, 1990.1The New York Times. Body of a Boy Found in Bags on Bronx Path
Who William Porter Was
William lived with his family on West 132nd Street in Manhattan and attended Public School 92, a few blocks from home. His older brother, Richard “Rich” Porter, was one of the most recognized crack dealers in Harlem during the late 1980s, running a crew alongside Azie Faison and Alberto “Alpo” Martinez.2Andscape. The Legacy of Notorious Drug Dealer Alpo Martinez That visibility, and the money behind it, is what drew the kidnappers to the family.
The Kidnapping on December 5, 1989
William was abducted on the morning of December 5, 1989, during the four-block walk from his home to school. The kidnappers demanded as much as $500,000 from Rich Porter for the boy’s safe return.3The New York Times. Missing Boy; Drug Trade Hits Again
To prove they held him, the kidnappers cut off William’s right index finger and left it in a coffee cup in the bathroom of a McDonald’s at 125th Street and Broadway, together with a tape recording of the boy pleading for the ransom to be paid. Investigators believed the perpetrators knew the Porter family personally. The family’s phone number was unlisted, yet the ransom calls reached them.4The New York Times. Missing Boy; Drug Trade Hits Again
Rich Porter Killed Before the Ransom Was Paid
On the morning of January 3, 1990, roughly a month into his brother’s abduction, Rich Porter was found shot to death in a remote area of the Bronx near Orchard Beach. He had been shot in the head and chest. He was 25. Detectives speculated that Porter may have been trying to secure his brother’s release on his own when he was killed.5Deseret News. Kidnapped Boy Found Dead
Accounts that emerged years later placed the killing with Rich Porter’s own associate, Alpo Martinez, along with Martinez’s accomplice Garrett “Big Head Gary” Terrell. Martinez later said he believed Porter had been dishonest about a drug supply connection, and he described luring Porter into a van and killing the man he said he had “called my brother.” Neither Martinez nor Terrell was ever convicted specifically of Rich Porter’s murder, though the killing was later included among the charges Martinez faced in his federal case.2Andscape. The Legacy of Notorious Drug Dealer Alpo Martinez
William’s Body Found in the Bronx
On January 28, 1990, nearly two months after William was taken, his body was discovered on a bicycle path near the Hutchinson River Parkway’s City Island exit in the Bronx. He had been wrapped in 14 layers of black plastic garbage bags.1The New York Times. Body of a Boy Found in Bags on Bronx Path He had been killed by a blow to the head.5Deseret News. Kidnapped Boy Found Dead The location was in the same general part of the Bronx where Rich Porter’s body had been found weeks earlier. Accounts later shared by people close to the family indicated William was already dead by the time any ransom exchange was attempted.6Vibe. Mekhi Phifer Actually Wrote His Emotional Scene in Paid in Full
The Preacher Crew and the Conviction
William’s kidnapping and murder were ultimately tied to Clarence “Preacher” Heatley and his organization, known as the Preacher Crew or “The Family.” Founded in 1983, the crew operated in central and west Harlem and the Bronx, running a drug business built on the extortion and intimidation of other dealers. By the early 1990s it had been linked to nearly 45 homicides.7The New York Times. 18 Indicted on Murder and Drug Charges
Federal court records established that Heatley participated in the kidnapping, torture, and murder of William Porter between December 5, 1989, and approximately January 20, 1990.8Federal Public Defender Resource Counsel. Heatley Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty In November 1996, a 47-count federal indictment charged 18 members of the crew with racketeering, 11 murders, and 11 murder conspiracies.7The New York Times. 18 Indicted on Murder and Drug Charges In February 1999, Heatley pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges and admitted involvement in 13 killings. He agreed to a sentence of life in prison in exchange for the government dropping its pursuit of the death penalty.9The New York Times. Gang Leader in Plea Deal Admits to Role in 13 Killings
Alpo Martinez, arrested on November 7, 1991, faced 14 counts of murder, including the deaths of both Rich Porter and William Porter.2Andscape. The Legacy of Notorious Drug Dealer Alpo Martinez He cooperated with federal authorities, received a reduced sentence of 35 years, and was released in 2015 into witness protection in Lewiston, Maine.10NEWS CENTER Maine. Former NYC Drug Lord Living in Witness Protection in Lewiston Killed in Harlem On October 31, 2021, Martinez was shot and killed in a drive-by on Frederick Douglass Boulevard near West 152nd Street in Harlem. He was 55.11New York Daily News. Alpo Martinez Assassinated in Harlem Shooting
How the Story Appeared in Paid in Full
The 2002 film Paid in Full drew on the lives of Rich Porter, Azie Faison, and Alpo Martinez. Mekhi Phifer played Mitch, the character based on Rich Porter; Wood Harris played Ace, based on Faison; and Cam’ron played the character based on Martinez.12Revolt. Mekhi Phifer Reflects on Paid in Full Experience After Alpo Martinez’s Death
In the film, the kidnapping victim is Mitch’s young son rather than his younger brother. Phifer said in a 2014 interview that the kidnapping scene was not in the original script and that he wrote it himself after speaking with Rich Porter’s sister and a close family friend, Jay Black. They told him about the severed finger, the attempted ransom exchange at a McDonald’s, and the fact that the boy was already dead by the time the trade was attempted.6Vibe. Mekhi Phifer Actually Wrote His Emotional Scene in Paid in Full The real William Porter was 12 years old and was Rich’s brother, not his son.