Man acquitted in murder of young father during drug deal in West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The two men arrested for the murder of a young father in West Palm Beach nearly six years ago are free.

On Thursday, a jury acquitted 31-year-old Lawrence Padgett for the murder of 26-year-old Jevaughn Suckoo in 2017.

One day earlier, court records show a second suspect in the case. 27-year-old Marqavious McCatty, received a "Nolle Prosse" from prosecutors, meaning he won't be prosecuted.

The shooting happened July 11, 2017, at the Renaissance Apartments. Police said Suckoo's girlfriend came home and found him on the floor in a pool of blood near the front door. The girlfriend told police he had a large amount of marijuana hidden above the stove in the kitchen and a firearm in a duffel bag near the door. Police couldn't find either in the apartment, other than Suckoo's body, broken glass candle holders, blood on the walls, an overturned end table, and other signs of a struggle.

According to the arrest report, the last phone call to Suckoo came from Padgett's cellphone, who, when questioned by police, referred to Suckoo a good friend. The subpoenas and search warrants to T-Mobile and Apple iCloud showed Suckoo's phone received eight phone calls between 4:20 p.m. and 7:23 p.m. on the day of his murder. The cellphone data showed that someone using Suckoo's phone answered five of those calls and returned three of them.

The phone on the other end of those calls belonged to Padgett, investigators said.

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Police brought Padgett in on a warrant to collect his DNA on January 31, 2018, more than six months after the murder. Before questioning him, police informed Padgett he was not under arrest and could leave at anytime.

Padgett told police Suckoo had supplied him with "large amounts of marijuana for the purposes of selling it illegally."

Police said Padgett started to tell detectives that he had seen Suckoo on the day of his murder, but then quickly changed his story.

Police then asked Padgett if he owned a gun.

Police said Padgett became nervous with that question. According to the arrest report, Padgett answered, by saying, "I own a three fif...,a 38." Police said Padgett nearly told detectives the caliber of the weapon, a .357, but caught himself. The .357 was the same caliber as the murder weapon.

When detectives asked Padgett to clarify his whereabouts at the time of the shooting, he left the building.

Surveillance video from the apartment complex, according to police, showed a gray or silver-colored Cadillac CTS enter the exit gate at 7:11 p.m. The car left the complex at 7:18 p.m.

Police said a 911 call for service came into the dispatchers at 7:37 p.m. The caller said a murder had just occurred at apartment 305 at 4110 Bear Lakes Court. About 23 minutes later, police took a 911 call from Padgett's girlfriend who said she discovered his body when she came home.

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A witness told police he heard a gunshot at around 7:40 p.m. while in the parking lot of the 4110 building. He said he heard screaming, then saw three men coming off the first-floor landing. He described one man as tall, about six feet, 230 to 240 pounds. The second man was described as being shorter. All three, the witness said, ran to a silver vehicle described as a Cadillac CTS, and sped away.

THE SECOND MAN

On February 7, 2019, a judge signed a warrant to collect DNA from McCatty. At the time, he was in college in Minnesota. Detectives traveled to meet with McCatty at the Thief River Falls Police Department in Pennington County, and informed him he could leave at any point during the conversation. McCatty agreed to speak without an attorney present. He told police he and Padgett went to Suckoo's apartment for a drug buy. He said Padgett went into the apartment by himself, but after getting uncomfortable about how long things were taking, McCatty said he went to the apartment to check on Padgett, his half-brother.

According to the arrest report, McCatty said he found the front door to the apartment ajar and saw Padgett and Suckoo wrestling for a semi-automatic pistol. McCatty said his instincts took over and he went to help Padgett. McCatty said he pushed Suckoo to the floor when the gun held by Padgett fired. McCatty said the bullet hit him the arm before striking Suckoo in the head, killing him.

On March 5, 2019, investigators received a report from the DNA lab at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. It revealed the blood evidence in the apartment "was 7.72E23 times more likely if it originated from McCatty and an unknown individual than if the DNA profile obtained originated from two unknown individuals in the population. The blood evidence found on the landing outside Suckoo's apartment came back with a similar finding.

THE THIRD MAN

On March 20, 2019, investigators met with McCatty for a second time. This time he came with an attorney. Detectives read his Mirando rights. In this interview, McCatty said his 21-year-old brother, KR, was also in the car with Padgett as all three drove to Suckoo's apartment. McCatty said KR never left the car and had no idea of what happened inside Suckoo's apartment until days after the murder.

Detectives initially questioned KR on March 21, 2019 about what happened at Suckoo's apartment on July 11, 2017. According to the arrest report, he told police that he came in Padgett's car to West Palm Beach to buy marijuana and then go play basketball. He claimed he was on the phone the entire drive. He said Padgett went inside alone, only to be followed by McCatty a short time later. He said he stayed in the car, and when Padgett and McCatty reentered the car, they drove back home without saying a word.

Four months later, detectives had another interview with KR. His story changed. KR now said he left the car a short time after McCatty, but McCatty may not have not have known he was behind him. He said when he arrived at the third floor landing, McCatty had just entered Suckoo's apartment.

KR, according to his interview with police, said he walked into the apartment where he saw Padgett and Suckoo fighting. He said he saw McCatty try to separate the two men before all three men fell to the floor. At that moment, KR said he heard a "pop," which he knew to be the sound of a gun. KR said all three ran out of the apartment and drove home to treat McCatty's gunshot wound.

MR. BURNS

On Oct. 23, 2019, detectives met with a witness from Lake Worth, Mr. Burns told investigators he knew Padgett as "Phat."

According to Mr. Burns, "Phat" called him sometime in July 2017, and asked if he could stop by the apartment. Mr. Burns found it unusual since it had been awhile since the two spent time with each other.

Mr. Burns told police Padgett showed up a short time after the phone call. As the two walked outside for a smoke, Mr. Burns said that's when he realized someone else was in his apartment. According to the arrest report, Mr. Burns found McCatty in the bathroom, washing his gunshot wound. Mr. Burns said he knew McCatty as "Quay," Padgett's younger brother who played college football.

According to detectives, both Padgett and McCatty claimed they had been hunting in Belle Glade and that McCatty accidentally shot himself. Mr. Burns said he saw a third person in his apartment, carrying a blue book bag.

After meeting with Padgett, McCatty, and KR, Mr. Burns said he received calls from Padgett and Padgett's family. According to the police report, the callers told Mr. Burns to not talk about McCatty's bullet wound.

Police arrested Padgett for murder on Feb. 13, 2020, and McCatty the next day.

Nearly three years after the murder arrests, the State Attorney's Office said the "case is closed at this time."