Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell and Assistant State Attorney/ Prosecutor Jack Campbell work together as father and son in an attempt to railroad innocent 17-year-old black college student DeShon Thomas into Florida’s Prison System.
In January 2011, DeShon Thomas was a 17-year-old college student at Tallahassee Community College and worked part-time at Taco Bell.
During the mid-morning hours of January 27, 2011 DeShon’s 20-year-old pregnant ex-girlfriend, Laqecia Herring and her 17-year-old brother, Sterling Conner Jr. were found murdered in their mother’s SE Tallahassee townhouse in the Wolf Creek subdivision by their mother, 16-year-old brother and their mother’s girlfriend (significant other). Laqecia’s daughter (a toddler) was also found in the townhouse—she was not harmed.
On January 29, 2011 (being a responsible parent) DeShon’s mother took DeShon to the Leon County Sheriff’s Office to inform detectives about threats that he’d read on Laqecia’s Facebook page that had been posted by female friend of hers. (The female friend posted that she had a “Hit out on this bitch” referring to Laqecia. Within 48 hours later, Laqecia and her brother would be dead.) Despite DeShon and Laqecia having ended their 6 weeks relationship 3 months prior to the murders, they remained friends. In a text message exchange between DeShon and Laqecia (the last night of her life) Laqecia texted DeShon telling him that she owed the female friend and her mother money but had no intentions on paying them—which was the reasoning for the threatening posts.
Immediately upon coming in contact with a Det. Don Odham, DeShon and his mother were met with racist vulgar. DeShon and his mother are originally from Orlando, FL. Despite having lived in Tallahassee for 11 years, Det. Odham profiled them as criminals. Det. Odham denied DeShon the right to legal counsel. While DeShon’s mother was forced to wait in the lobby, Det. Odham and Assistant State Attorney Jack Campbell worked on several frivolous search warrants for DeShon’s persons and property.
As DeShon sat in jail on bogus cultivation of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia charges, he was charged with two counts of 1st Degree Murder (Eleven days after the murders).
DeShon and his family would learn that the victims’ family member had given LCSO detectives a laundry list of suspects—DeShon was not one of them. Of all the victims’ acquaintances, DeShon was the only one in school looking forward to his future. In the beginning of the investigation, detectives came up with this theory that DeShon murdered Laqecia because he didn’t want to be a father. But when Laqecia’s Pre-natal paperwork and her family members’ statements didn’t support that theory, then detectives needed to make DeShon a gang member. Detectives’ next theory was to make DeShon have a beef with Laqecia’s brother, 17-year-old Sterling (the other victim) which detectives tried to make him a gang member too. But when Sterling’s family members and friends did not support detectives calling Sterling a gang member; detectives went back to make Laqecia’s pregnancy an issue with DeShon. Never investigating the Facebook issue.
To show how desperate Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the 2nd District State Attorney’s Office is to railroad DeShon into the Florida Prison System, in August 2012, after DeShon’s mother learned that DeShon’s local private paid Criminal Defense Attorney, Gregory Cummings and Assistant State Attorney/ Prosecutor Jack Campbell were working hand in hand against DeShon, she and DeShon fired Greg Cummings. The exact same day that Greg Cummings filed a Motion to Withdraw from DeShon’s case, Leon County Sheriff’s Detectives and the State Attorney’s Office charged DeShon with solicitation to commit the murder of his once co-worker, roommate and friend, 21-year-old Trentin Ross. Det. Odham, who was fired/dismissed from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office a few months after DeShon was charged with the murders, had put in his report that Trentin Ross had voluntarily came into the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and gave an incriminating statement against DeShon. However, after DeShon’s arrest, Trentin Ross moved back to his hometown of Daytona Beach and the Leon County Clerk of Courts lost track of him. Trentin Ross told DeShon’s family members that he never gave LCSO an incriminating statement against DeShon. To date DeShon has yet to see any incriminating evidence against him. State Prosecutor Jack Campbell refuses to allow the Medical Examiner’s Office to make the victims’ autopsy reports public record. For the 16 months that Greg Cummings was on DeShon’s case, he refused to provide and/or discuss the victims’ autopsy report with DeShon (DeShon requested this information in writing several times).
Circuit Judge James C. Hankinson signed the probable cause and the arrest warrant for the solicitation of murder. State Attorney Willie Meggs told the media that DeShon did solicit the murder of Trentin Ross. The real criminals here are those within the judicial system. Again, using his dad (Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell’s resources) Assistant State Attorney/Prosecutor Jack Campbell solicited adult jailhouse inmate’s to prey on DeShon. After DeShon was charged with solicitation to commit murder, he was put in solitary confinement; all of his visitation and phone privileges were taken away from him. DeShon has not been allowed to have a visit from any of his love ones or call home in almost a year. DeShon is currently being represented by a court-appointed attorney with the Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel’s Office by the name of Daren Shippy.
A few months after firing Greg Cummings, DeShon’s mother found evidence to show where Circuit Judge James C. Hankinson may have knowingly allowed—if not participated, in the shenanigans that State Prosecutor Jack Campbell and Greg Cummings played out in his courtroom. Greg Cummings was DeShon’s attorney for 16 months. He’d been paid a total of $29560. There is no doubt that a number of DeShon’s state, constitutional, and civil rights have been violated. There is no doubt that with the help of Assistant State Attorney/ Prosecutor Jack Campbell and Leon County Sheriff’s detectives fabricated evidence and straight out lied to get DeShon in jail. There is no doubt that evidence is still being withheld from DeShon and the public.
Now 2 ½ years later, there is still no sworn incriminating statement against DeShon; no physical, no material or circumstantial evidence against him. In June 2013, DeShon’s case was assigned to another judge—Judge Jackie Fulford. Also, in June 2013, for the first time, there are legal documents filed to show that DeShon has a legal defense—in part showing where someone else committed the murders.
For 2 ½ years the 2nd District State Attorney’s Office and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office has not been able to find any evidence to support the charges of cultivation of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of 1st Degree Murder and possession of a firearm by a juvenile delinquent against DeShon. On the other hand, DeShon’s mother has found plenty of evidence to support the fact that Leon County Sheriff’s Detectives and the 2nd District State Attorney’s Office wrongfully charged DeShon. Having said that—it is important for the citizens of Tallahassee and all surrounding cities to know that the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the 2nd District State Attorney’s Office is well aware that there is a murderer of a pregnant woman and a 17-year-old amongst them. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the 2nd District State Attorney’s Office is in complete violation of the oath that they took to protect the communities.
FYI: Following the firing of Greg Cummings, both DeShon and his mother filed a complaint against Greg Cummings with The Florida Bar for violating several Rules of Professional Conduct. The Florida Bar has stated that Greg Cummings did not violate any of their rules.
Mothers Against Unethical Laws (MAUL) 