Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say a second person has been arrested in the 2019 murder of NoDa restaurant co-owner Scott Brooks.
Steven Staples, 31, who was already in custody on for another murder, was charged in connection with Brooks' murder, along with robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In a press conference Tuesday, CMPD officials said with these charges, Staples has now been charged with five murders that police say took place in about six week killing spree. And one of those being Scott Brooks.
“This case is really troubling to all of us,” Lt. Crum said. “Over a about a one and a half month period, he was involved in a tremendous amount of violent crime, and it really just seems senseless. Every single one of us in the homicide unit really just scratched our heads trying to understand what could lead to these senseless crimes, just such a horrible spat of violence in such a short period of time.”
According to WBTV, "In addition to the Brooks case, Staples was also charged with murder in the case of Anthony Leakes on Elliott Drive on Dec. 23, 2019, charged with murder in the deaths of Siojvon Joseph and Asa Shannon, who were found shot to death in a car down an embankment on Atando Avenue on Jan. 11, 2020 and charged with murder in the death of Andres Osbaldo Moscotte on Jan. 23, 2020 in Hickory."
The first suspect, Terry Conner Jr., 33, was arrested in early March. Conner was also charged for his role in the murders of Asa Shannon and Siojvon Joseph. CMPD said Conner and Staples could be considered “partners in crime” as they were both charged in the same cases involving robberies that resulted in killings.
Brooks, 61, was shot during an attempted robbery while opening his restaurant, Brooks’ Sandwich House, early in the morning on December 9, 2019. The business was likely targeted because it deals with cash, police said.
Warrants released by CMPD in March noted that Brooks was robbed of $100 when he murdered while opening the family business.
Conner faces charges of murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, first-degree kidnapping and possession of a firearm by felon. He told the judge and Brooks' family he was innocent in a court appearance this past March.