Prosecutors Say Mom|Led Murder Conspiracy

ST. LOUIS (CN) — The mother of a murder suspect has been charged with arranging two follow-up murders of witnesses against her son.

Latashia Mopkins, 38, and five others, including her son, are charged with multiple counts of murder, conspiracy and other offenses involving three murders from September 2013 to April 2014.

The St. Louis Circuit Court grand jury indictments were made public Wednesday against the defendants, all of whom are in jail without bail.

Mopkins' son, Tyrell Davidson, then 16, was charged as an adult in the 2013 murder of 16-year-old Chauncey Brown.

According to the indictment, two potential witnesses in that case were gunned down in the seven months from September 2013 to April 2014.

In October 2015, after other witnesses declined to testify, prosecutors had to drop charges against Davidson and release him from jail.

Prosecutors say Mopkins enlisted her brother, Cortez McClinton, 36, and a nephew, Frederick Mopkins, 25, to silence the witnesses, and that those men recruited Travon Knighten, 26, to help. The grand jury also reinstated a murder charge against Davidson, now 19, in the killing of Brown.

Knighten, McClinton and Frederick Mopkins have felony records for offenses that include drugs and theft. McClinton also faces a second-degree murder charge in an unrelated case, according to the indictments. Latashia Mopkins does not have a criminal record.

Latashia Mopkins faces two counts of first-degree murder or in the alternative two counts of murder conspiracy; two counts of armed criminal action; witness tampering and assisting a felon.

Cortez McClinton is charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and conspiracy to commit murder.

Frederick Mopkins is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two of armed criminal action and one of conspiracy.

Travon Knighten is charged with one count each of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and conspiracy.

Tyrell Davidson is charged with one count each of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and witness tampering, all in the original murder.

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