A man already charged in the March killing of a Birmingham man now faces an additional charge after authorities say he tried to pay someone to kill a witness against him. Court records made public Tuesday show Japarius Maxwell has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with an alleged plot from last month.
Charging documents say Maxwell attempted to hire a person to kill a witness for payment on Oct. 19, according to AL.com. Authorities said the unidentified witness was not harmed. The outlet reports that the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office obtained the new charge against Maxwell.
Charged in a March Shooting During a Robbery
Maxwell is charged, along with Terrell Scott, with the March shooting death of Cornelius Lee Evans during a robbery in Birmingham's Kingston community. The same report identifies Maxwell as 20 years old and from Clay, describing him as one of two men charged in the March shooting death of the 23-year-old man.
A separate account from WBRC lists Maxwell's age differently, reporting that 21-year-old Terrell Scott and 19-year-old Japarius Maxwell, both of Birmingham, were arrested for capital murder in Evans's death. The two outlets do not agree on Maxwell's age, and that discrepancy remains unresolved in the record.
What Happened to Cornelius Lee Evans
WBRC reported that Evans was shot dead in the 4600 block of Roscoe Avenue before 9 p.m. on March 5. The station's report says Scott and Maxwell were taken into custody on April 1 and were to be held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond.
Maxwell and Scott are both held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail as the capital murder case continues. The new conspiracy-to-commit-murder charge against Maxwell adds a separate legal track to that ongoing case, though no outcome has been reported for either matter.
The Legal Ground for a Conspiracy Charge
Alabama law addresses criminal conspiracy under Ala. Code 1975, § 13A-4-3, which includes an agreement, intent and an overt act as elements of the offense. No further specifics about the alleged plot, including any amount Maxwell allegedly offered, have been made public.
