2 men, woman convicted on multiple charges including murder-for-hire in Mobile: U.S. DOJ

MOBILE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Two men and a woman were convicted on multiple charges after a three-week trial with a federal jury, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

30-year-old John Fitzgerald McCarroll Jr., 20-year-old Darrius Dwayne Rowser and 30-year-old Lyteria Isheeia Hollis were found guilty of murder-for-hire conspiracy, murder-for-hire, carjacking conspiracy, interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle, evidence tampering and witness tampering.

According to a DOJ news release, the three people were part of a plot to murder another person as revenge for a previous killing.

“Jurors reviewed evidence that McCarroll, aided by Hollis and others, directed payments to hired shooters, including Rowser and others, to carry out the intended murder,” the release said.

Jurors reviewed text messages, social media evidence, financial records, surveillance videos, firearm and toolmark evidence, DNA evidence, and cell tower data, according to the release.

Other evidence showed that the shooters McCarroll hired attempted to kill the intended target during multiple nightclub shootings but failed.

Officials said in September 2022, another man who pleaded guilty to the murder-for-hire conspiracy, Reginald Dennis Alan Fluker, opened fire in the Bank Nightlife club using a gun given to him by McCarroll.

Fluker shot the wrong person, and that man died from his injuries, according to the release.

The release said in November 2022, Rowser used a machine gun, also provided by McCarroll, to shoot at the target inside the Paparazzi Lounge; however, Rowser missed the target and hit four other people, leaving one person paralyzed.

“The evidence also showed that as part of the conspiracy, Rowser and others, at McCarroll’s direction, traveled to Mississippi to steal cars for use in surveilling the target of the plot,” the release said.

During an attempted carjacking in September 2022 in D’Iberville, Miss., Rowser allegedly shot and killed another person.

As part of that murder, a coconspirator and Rowser brought the stolen car back to Mobile and burned the car they were using during the attempted carjacking, according to the release.

There was more evidence shown to the jury, which included another shooting in Mobile.

According to the release, in December 2022 Rowser and coconspirators went to the Walmart on the I-65 Service Road South in Mobile to buy a GPS for the target’s vehicle at McCarroll’s direction.

During the Walmart trip, Rowser and the others opened fire in the self-checkout area of the store, shooting two more people, according to officials.

The last bit of evidence allegedly showed that after McCarroll, Fluker, and others were arrested, they tried to tamper with evidence and a witness.

The release said McCarroll told Hollis to hide a weapon that had previously been bought for Fluker for his participation in the murder plot.

“Additionally, the jury convicted McCarroll of attempting to tamper with Fluker’s testimony by having him sign a sham affidavit, which was filed in state court to earn McCarroll a bond from jail,” read the release.

Sentencing for the three people will be held on March 6, 2025.

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