5th arrest made in fatal 2019 shooting of Las Vegas man

An additional suspect is being jailed in connection with the fatal shooting of a maintenance worker who was found New Year’s Eve next to a burning car in Barstow, California.

Anthony Woods, 22, was arrested nearly nine months after the crime. He and at least four others planned to rob 44-year-old Jabar Anderson during a marijuana sale, according to an arrest report from the Metropolitan Police Department released Friday.

Anderson was found by the California Highway Patrol at 4:30 a.m. Dec. 31, 2019, next to a burning Lexus about 130 miles from where he was shot. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department worked with Metro to determine that the Lexus had been frequently spotted at Siena Suites, 6555 Boulder Highway, where Anderson was a maintenance worker, according to Woods’ arrest report.

Anderson never left work Dec. 30, when his shift was scheduled to end at 2:30 p.m., according to a missing person’s report filed by his sister in Henderson.

Investigators discovered a blood trail at Siena Suites trailing back to the third floor, where there was “the strong odor of cleaning chemicals” inside a recently abandoned apartment, police said in the arrest report.

A person interviewed by investigators said a man involved owed $2,000 to Anderson and “had no intention to pay,” so the group staged a drug deal to bring Anderson to the apartment with 2 pounds of marijuana. But when Anderson only showed up with 1 pound, a gunfight ensued, according to the arrest report.

Jecory Kemp, 28; Tyeshia Evan James, 24; Davon Hickman, 33; Preston Huteson, 30; and Arleo Davis Jr., 27, were charged earlier this year in connection with the shooting.

The Review-Journal previously reported that Hickman is suspected of pulling the trigger on a 9 mm gun that killed Anderson and directing the others to leave the apartment one by one so as not to alert suspicion after the shooting.

Kemp is suspected of driving the vehicle with Hickman to Barstow and then setting it on fire, and Huteson allegedly drove Kemp and Hickman back to Las Vegas after they disposed of Anderson’s body, police previously said.

Woods denied all involvement with the shooting when arrested in March, but investigators used nearby surveillance and witness statements to tie him to the death, according to his arrest report.

A warrant for his arrest was issued Aug. 26 on charges of open murder, robbery with use of a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery, according to court records.

Charges against Kemp and James were dismissed in February after a grand jury hearing, according to court records. Davis’ case was dismissed by a grand jury in March. Huteson was arrested in January on charges of harboring or concealing a felony offender and being a felon in possession of a gun. He is scheduled to appear in court again Oct. 13.

A warrant for Hickman was issued Jan. 14, and as of Friday he was still not in custody.

Woods is being held without bail pending a hearing Monday.

A previous version of this story incorrectly reported Woods was the fourth suspect arrested. He was the fifth.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.