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A Tennessee gang enforcer and hitman who shot and killed a witness was convicted Wednesday of several offenses, including racketeering, the Justice Department said.
Brandon Durell Hardison, who went by "Creep" and "Creeper da Reeper," was found guilty by a federal jury of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, causing death through the use of a firearm, murder of a witness to prevent communication to a law enforcement official regarding a federal offense, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering.
Brandon Durell Hardison, 35, of Nashville, Tenn., killed a witness to a murder and participated in shootings for the Gangster Disciples, fedeeral prosecutors said. (Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)
"Today’s verdict marks the end of a decade of violence and lawlessness inflicted upon our communities by ruthless gang members," said Mary Jane Stewart, acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Hardison was the last of 12 defendants indicted amid an investigation into the Gangster Disciples, a street gang founded in Chicago with chapters in multiple cities across the country that are responsible for murders and drug trafficking. The organization is ruled by a national leadership of a corporate board-style group, prosecutors said during a three-week trial.
Five Gangster Disciple members were convicted after an April 2019 trial for drug trafficking, RICO conspiracy and other crimes. They were identified as Maurice Duncan Burks, 35, of Hopkinsville, Ky., Marcus Termaine Darden, 43, of Guthrie, Ky., Derrick Lamar Kilgore, 37, DeCarlos Titington, 46, and Elance Justin Lucas, 32, all of Clarksville, Tenn.
A Baltimore man is accused of killing his daughter, years after allegedly killing his son and a friend. (iStock)
Authorities alleged Hardison, a 35-year-old Nashville resident, committed shootings, murders and other violent crimes for the gang. On Jan. 6, 2012, he murdered a gang associate over an unpaid debt and then shot and killed the victim's girlfriend, who witnessed the earlier homicide, federal prosecutors said.
As a reward for the killings, Hardison was appointed to various positions within the gang, including regional chief enforcer and being a member of the "Blackout Squad," a group of hitmen. On Sept. 12, 2012, he participated in the shooting of a home belonging to a member of the Bloods gang in Clarksville, prosecutors said.
On Nov. 3 of that year, Hardison and other members of the gang allegedly killed a member of the Bloods inside a nightclub.
Prosecutors said other gang members trafficked drugs, violently enforced gang rules and intimidated witnesses to prevent them from cooperating with law enforcement.
The U.S. Department of Justice. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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Hardison faces life in prison. His sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
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