Two Lehigh Acres men arrested in death during alleged drug deal; hid body for days
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said Wednesday two men face second-degree murder charges after they set up a drug deal in Lehigh Acres with plans to kill the supplier.
"It was cold blood," Marceno said. "It was calculated."
Cameron Williams, 20, and Dayrion Howard, 18, set up a drug deal with Damari Anthony Ali, 21, all of Lehigh Acres, on May 3, he said.
More: LCSO confirms body found in Lehigh Acres days after man reported missing
They met in a rural area near Dominion Avenue South. Marceno said the pair shot Ali, hid his body in brush, then drove his car eight blocks away.
Ali's abandoned car was discovered a day later; his body discovered in the field blocks away on Tuesday, Marceno said.
"From the very second we rolled up on that car, the patrol deputies knew it was going to be a serious scene," he said, pictures showing a bullet hole in the driver's side window of the car. "We knew it was a serious investigation and, again, we wasted no time. It was all hands on deck."
Marceno touted his office's 83% rate of solving murders, saying the national average is about 50%.
"Eight out of nine times in Lee County we are going to get you," Marceno said. "... Homicides can take years, and some, unfortunately, never solved. We are days into this and have an arrest."
He pledged to work with the State Attorney's Office to see that Williams and Howard remain in jail or prison the rest of their lives.
"Regardless of Mr. Ali’s intent or his choices that night, he didn’t deserve to die," Marceno said. "The families are still left here crying and hurting."
Stacey Henson is the breaking news and visuals editor for The News-Press and Naples Daily News. You may reach her at shenson@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Lee County sheriff: Lehigh Acres men plotted death during drug deal
