MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A federal jury in Memphis has convicted two high-ranking members of the Unknown Vice Lords street gang in the execution-style killing of a fellow gang member suspected of betraying the organization, federal prosecutors announced Friday.
After a weeklong trial, jurors found Edward Allen, 42, also known as “E-Money,” and Deandre Rodgers, 29, also known as “Dre,” guilty of causing death through the use of a firearm during a racketeering murder.
Prosecutors said Allen and Rodgers were leaders within the Unknown Vice Lords, a violent gang operating throughout Memphis and extending into Arkansas and Mississippi. The group engaged in murders, robberies, assaults, human trafficking and drug trafficking to maintain control of its territory, according to evidence presented at trial.
The case stems from a series of retaliatory acts following the Jan. 10, 2019, daylight killing of the gang’s “Supreme Elite Chief,” who led the organization statewide, and his girlfriend in a residential Memphis neighborhood.
Authorities said gang members initially blamed a rival group, the Traveling Vice Lords, and carried out a drive-by shooting at a known hangout later that same night, wounding at least one person. In the days that followed, members of the Unknown Vice Lords conducted their own internal inquiry and concluded that one of their own members was responsible for the chief’s murder.
Five days later, on Jan. 15, 2019, Allen and Rodgers, along with other gang members, lured the suspected member to a dilapidated apartment complex and executed him, prosecutors said.
According to trial testimony, on the night before the killing, co-defendant Vincent Grant, known as “V-Slash,” supplied firearms to gang members for what they referred to as a “demo,” meaning a violent mission. Around 1 a.m., Allen and Rodgers led the victim behind one of the apartment buildings and shot him with the weapons provided by Grant.
“Members of this gang carried out a calculated and merciless killing, leaving the victim in public to send a chilling message about the consequences of disloyalty,” Duva said in a statement. He added that the defendants’ repeated acts of violence demonstrated “a profound indifference to human life.”
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee said the convictions significantly disrupted the gang’s leadership in Memphis.
“If you are a member of a criminal gang committed to a lifestyle of lawlessness, no matter your role or nickname — your days are numbered — there will be a reckoning,” Dunavant said.
Allen and Rodgers face a maximum sentence of life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for May 11 before a federal district judge, who will determine their punishment after considering federal sentencing guidelines and statutory factors.
Grant was previously convicted at trial for his role in the killing and sentenced to more than 24 years in prison.
