Blackshear was one of five co-conspirators who kidnapped and abducted the victim, Kwasi Casey, at gunpoint on July 7, 2019.
Casey was taken to one of the defendants’ houses where he was held against his will and beaten with a baseball bat while another defendant made ransom demands from the victim’s family.
Casey escaped the next day but was recaptured and forced into a co-conspirator’s minivan, where he was beaten and ultimately died of his injuries, the release stated.
The defendants hid Casey’s body in a detached garage on Fountain Avenue in Dayton, and on Sept. 17, 2019, the defendants set the garage on fire. The victim’s burnt remains were discovered Sept. 26, 2019, according to the release.
Antoine Dye, 37, was the first of the five defendants to plead guilty, which he did on Dec. 22, 2021. He has not been sentenced. The other three defendants in the case are Markale Thomas, 28; Devon Love, 29; and Ryan Reese, 27, who were each charged with conspiring to kidnap the victim, which is a federal crime punishable by up to life in prison.
Credit: Butler County Jail
Credit: Butler County Jail
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