Suspect in 2017 Starks killing indicted on racketeering charge

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - One of the suspects in the 2017 killing of Dustin Hammons in Starks has been indicted on a racketeering charge.

Jason “Kassper” Lee Lopez, 38, was a member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas when Hammons was killed, according to an indictment returned in a Calcasieu court Thursday.

The racketeering charge is in addition to a second-degree murder indictment Lopez already faces in the death of Hammons, a 22-year-old Houston man whose body was found near Starks in August of 2017.

Boyd “Lurch” Hagood, of Baytown, Texas, and Ashlyn Brown, of Baytown, Texas, have also been indicted on charges of second-degree murder in Hammons’ death.

Authorities have previously said they believe the killing was drug-related and that the group traveled from the Houston area to the Starks area where Hammons was killed.

Thursday’s indictment says that Lopez “conducted and committed racketeering activity while on assignment to aid and assist methamphetamines distributor Boyd Haygood, AKA Lurch, with whatever assistance was needed.”

The racketeering charge includes:

· Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamines.

· Conspiracy to commit money laundering.

· Conspiracy to commit second-degree kidnapping.

· Conspiracy to commit simple robbery.

· Conspiracy to commit second-degree murder.

· Theft of property having value less than $1,000.

Calcasieu Assistant District Attorney Charles Robinson, who is prosecuting the case along with ADA Joey Williams, said Lopez was scheduled to go to trial on Monday, however, due to the pandemic, a state Supreme Court moratorium on jury trials is in place.

Lopez is represented by Public Defender King Alexander.