FARNKLIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A 37-year-old man was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences for his role in a murder-for-hire plot in Franklin County.
Kevin Coles was sentenced amid a six-year investigation into the 2016 murders that happened on a property along Welsh Run Road in Mercersburg.
All of the victims were shot, had their hands zip-tied, and set on fire.
Coles was found guilty in April of last year after evidence showed that he was in a relationship with one of the victims. He also was involved in a drug operation, according to the Justice Department.
A Baltimore-based gang was hired to kill the girlfriend after it was revealed that she was cooperating with officials. Almost a dozen people were charged along with Coles as a result.
The following individuals were charged along with Coles as a result of the investigation, according to the Justice Department:
• Devin Dickerson, age 31, Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin
and crack cocaine and is awaiting sentencing;
• Kenyatta Corbett, age 38, Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and to being
an accomplice to the use of a firearm during Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting
sentencing;
• Michael Buck, age 30, Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and to being an
accomplice to the use of a firearm during Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting sentencing;
• Nicholas Preddy, age 29, Baltimore, pleaded guilty to attempting to kill a witness and is
awaiting sentencing;
• Johnnie Jenkins-Armstrong, age 22, Baltimore, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and
to being an accomplice to the use of a firearm during Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting
sentencing;
• Terrance Lawson, age 31, Baltimore, sentenced to time served for attempting to
intimidate a witness;
• Tyrone Armstrong, age 30, Baltimore, sentenced to time served for attempting to
intimidate a witness; and
• Christopher Johnson, age 31, Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty to multiple counts
including murder for hire and is awaiting sentencing;
• Mark Johnson, 35, Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty to obstructing the grand jury’s
investigation and was sentenced to 110 months’ imprisonment;
• Llesenia Woodard, 46, Hagerstown, Maryland, pled guilty to providing false testimony to
the grand jury investigating the murders and is awaiting sentencing
• Jerell Adgebesan, age 35, of Baltimore and Hagerstown, Maryland, pled guilty in June
2022 to Hobbs Act robbery and to being an accomplice to the use of a firearm during
Hobbs Act robbery. Judge Conner sentenced Adgebesan in February 2023 to life
imprisonment and a consecutive 10-year term of imprisonment;
• Torey White, 32, Waynesboro, PA, and Florida, was indicted on multiple counts to
include murder of a witness, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery, and firearms
offenses. His trial is currently scheduled to commence in May 2023.
• Yolanda Diaz, 31, Hagerstown, was indicted on multiple counts of perjury and
obstruction of justice based upon her testimony at the Coles trial. Her trial is currently
scheduled for May 2023.
Joshua Davis, age 30, previously pled guilty to participating in the conspiracy to locate
and kill an individual believed to be cooperating with federal authorities in the investigation of
the triple murders. Davis was sentenced to serve 100 months’ imprisonment.
The following federal, state and local law enforcement agencies participated in the investigation: Drug Enforcement Administration Harrisburg Resident Office; Pennsylvania State Police, Chambersburg; Pennsylvania State Police, Troop H; Franklin County Drug Task Force; Franklin County Adult Probation; Pennsylvania State Probation and Parole; Hagerstown Police Department, Criminal Investigation Division; Drug Enforcement Administration, Hagerstown Resident Office; Washington County Narcotics Task Force; Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office, Strike Force Group 1; Maryland State Police Homicide Unit; Baltimore Police Department Narcotics, Fugitive And Homicide Units; Baltimore County Police Department Narcotics and Gang Unit; Federal Bureau of Investigation Evidence Management Unit, Quantico, VA; US Marshal’s Service Harrisburg, PA and Phoenix, AZ; Franklin County District Attorney’s Office; United States Attorney’s Office, District Of Maryland; and the Washington County State’s Attorney’s Office.
