28-Year-Old Howard County Man Pleads Guilty To Involvement In Murder-For-Hire Conspiracy

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A 28-year-old Ellicott City man has pleaded guilty to the use and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death in connection to a murder-for-hire conspiracy.

Jourdain Larose, also known as “JBlacc,” admitted that he hired others to murder Juan Ross in exchange for money and that in the course of the murder-for-hire, Larose aided and abetted his co-conspirators who shot and killed Juan Ross, 23, of Columbia, according to prosecutors.

As detailed in his plea agreement, Larose accused Ross of cooperating with law enforcement, including on a live social media conversation on Sept. 9, 2020, and in a text message. Larose provided a gun to a conspirator on Sept. 12, 2020, for the purpose of killing Ross. On Oct. 3, 2020, when the conspirator had not committed the murder yet, Larose solicited co-defendant Tyrik Braxton to commit the murder instead. On that same date, Braxton texted a cell phone number linked to co-defendant Daquante Thomas with the address where Ross could be found.

According to court documents, on Oct. 4, 2020, after texting each other about the address where they could find the victim, Braxton, Thomas and another co-conspirator drove to the area of Basket Ring Court in Columbia to locate Ross, then drove to a drug store nearby where Braxton got out of the car and left the area. A short time later, Thomas and the co-conspirator returned to Basket Ring Court, shot and killed Ross and drove away together.

Although they denied knowing each other in post arrest statements, investigators linked Larose and Braxton through cell phone records and witness interviews. According to the plea agreement, after Ross’s murder, Braxton texted Larose that he had something important to discuss, and Larose told Braxton to Facetime him. As detailed in the plea agreement, on Oct. 7, 2020, Braxton texted Larose, “It’s going to be hot as sh** out here,” to which Larose responded, “It already is bro.”

Larose and the government have agreed that, if the court accepts the plea, Larose will be sentenced to no more than 40 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin has scheduled sentencing for Larose on Feb. 27, 2024.

Co-defendant Tyrik Braxton, also known as “Son-Son,” 27, of Baltimore previously pleaded guilty to discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death and is expected to be sentenced to between 20 and 25 years in federal prison. No date has been set for his sentencing.

On Jan. 11, Judge Rubin sentenced co-defendant Thomas, 21, of Baltimore, to 35 years in federal prison for the same charge. Thomas admitted that he was one of the shooters.