Damarcus Boyd, Kidnapping for Ransom, IL 2015

East St. Louis man Damarcus Boyd, aka Mez, has pled guilty to a brutal 2015 kidnapping that began as a marijuana deal and spiraled into a four-day nightmare of ransom calls, threats, and terror. The 30-year-old admitted his role in the conspiracy to kidnap a man who flew from San Diego to St. Louis expecting a drug transaction — instead walking into a trap set by Boyd and two co-defendants.

Court records reveal the victim arrived in St. Louis on September 25, 2015, only to be picked up by Boyd and co-defendant Ortega Mitchell, aka Munk Milano. They drove him to a house in Illinois where Darius Rose — waiting with an assault rifle — screamed he’d “blow the victim’s brains out” and forced him to the floor. His wallet and phone were stolen. Boyd then bound the victim’s hands and feet with duct tape before locking him inside a bedroom.

The horror escalated the next day when Rose began making ransom calls to the victim’s father, demanding $100,000 and more marijuana. Boyd accompanied Rose on trips to the Glenfield Apartments in Overland, Missouri, to place the calls. The family called law enforcement, triggering a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) manhunt that tracked the kidnappers’ movements and tightened the net.

On September 30, Boyd, Mitchell, and Rose drove the victim from Illinois to the Columbia and Hampton area in St. Louis. Without a word, they ordered him out of the vehicle and sped off, abandoning him on the street. The victim walked to a nearby gas station and called his father — finally free, but scarred by days of captivity and death threats.

Boyd, of East St. Louis, Illinois, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to kidnap before U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White. Sentencing is scheduled for February 8, 2017. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines will be considered, but the brutality of the crime looms large over the upcoming hearing.

Co-defendant Ortega Mitchell also pled guilty in October and awaits sentencing. Darius Rose remains in custody and is awaiting trial. The FBI led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cristian M. Stevens is prosecuting. As of now, Rose is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

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