Murder of Ahmad Laster by cousin Clarence Murphy investigated on The Murder Tapes

Mugshot of Clarence Murphy
Clarence Murphy was sentenced to life for the murder of Ahmad Laster. Pic credit: Florida Dept. of Corrections

The Murder Tapes is examining the murder of Ahmad “Shah” Laster, who was gunned down by his cousin Clarence Murphy Jr outside his home in Palm Coast, Florida.

In the early hours of September 19, 2017, Laster’s neighbor awoke to the sound of gunfire, and when she looked outside, she saw Laster lying in the drive. He had been hit with a single bullet in the head. He was taken to a hospital but sadly died a short time later.

A few hours later, Laster’s cousin, Murphy, was arrested during a traffic stop and was charged with first-degree murder.

Strong evidence against Clarence Murphy in Ahmad Laster murder

This was pretty much an open and shut case. Murphy was spotted on surveillance footage shooting his cousin in the head following a brief argument on the street.

The pair can be seen arguing before Murphy turns and starts walking away, only to suddenly turn around and open fire. Family members identified him as the killer from the footage.

The investigators also came upon a text message from Murphy to Laster, which read: “U been stealing from everybody someone gonna stop u.” The message had been sent shortly before the murder.

Police concluded that the two cousins had fallen out over a drugs transaction. Laster had reportedly given Murphy an EBT card which was supposed to have $100 on it in exchange for drugs. Murphy was angered because the balance apparently fell short.

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Despite pleading guilty to second-degree murder, the judge chose to dish out a fairly severe sentence for the crime. The judge took into account Murphy’s already lengthy criminal record and the fact he had violated his probation, meaning he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

More from The Murder Tapes

Follow the links to read about more horrific crimes profiled on The Murder Tapes.

Gary Wilckens was possessive and abusive towards his girlfriend, and when she angered him, he decided to exact revenge by gunning down her elderly parents, Robert and Martha Sorensen. Despite fleeing across the state of Arizona, he was soon thrown in jail by the cops.

D’Angelo White was set up by five individuals in a conspiracy to rob him of his drug stash. He was lured to an address in Evansville, Indiana, with an offer to purchase marijuana. Once he arrived, Mykel Blair played the role of trigger man and shot White as he sat in his car.

The Murder Tapes air at 8/7c on Investigation Discovery.

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