2 Plead Guilty in Minneapolis Drug-Related Killing

Oct 14

Two men have entered guilty pleas in connection with the April killing of a man during a drug-related setup outside a Minneapolis apartment building.

According to court filings, 18-year-old Darnail Arnez LaBrec and 20-year-old Jayce Nasir Cuff each admitted to aiding and abetting unintentional second-degree murder in the fatal shooting.

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Police were called around 10:18 p.m. on April 19 to the Peregrine Apartments on West River Road North after reports of gunfire and a vehicle crashing into the underground garage door. Officers found 27-year-old Davione Collins dead in the driver’s seat of a Nissan Altima with a gunshot wound to his neck. Investigators said the bullet severed his vertebrae, killing him instantly.

The investigation determined that LaBrec, Cuff and another juvenile arranged to meet Collins for a fake marijuana deal. Messages between the juvenile and Collins showed that the victim was directed to drive behind the Peregrine Apartments, where surveillance video later captured two men approaching his car before gunfire erupted.

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Video from nearby cameras showed LaBrec and Cuff extending their arms toward the vehicle before running back inside the building. Investigators later recovered five shell casings from two different firearms in the area where the pair had been standing. Inside Collins’ vehicle, police found marijuana packaged for sale, a digital scale and two phones, including one linked to LaBrec’s iCloud account. Photos found on that phone showed him holding a Glock pistol fitted with an illegal automatic switch days before the shooting.

Prosecutors said the juvenile lived in the building and set up the meeting with Collins, keeping a door propped open to allow LaBrec and Cuff to flee after the shooting. Investigators determined that both men fired at Collins during the attempted robbery and one of the bullets struck him in the neck.

LaBrec, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was certified to stand trial as an adult earlier this month and was charged with second-degree intentional murder. As part of the agreement, he will be given a 13 year and 9 month prison term. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 13.

Cuff also pled guilty and is expected to be sentenced to 195 months in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 28.

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