The night before James Carr was gunned down in north-central Lincoln, his girlfriend told an acquaintance she intended to lure him into a setup, and the man suspected of killing him got hold of a handgun, police said in court documents.
In a phone conversation with a male Lancaster County jail inmate Sunday, Tiffany S. Welch said she was going to do something that would make him proud of her, according to an affidavit for her arrest.
Police arrested her Tuesday, and on Wednesday a judge ordered Welch, 21, be held in jail without bond on suspicion of accessory to murder in the Monday morning shooting death of Carr, 27.
Matthew Pavey, who police believe shot Carr, appeared in court Wednesday afternoon via video from jail and was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon.
Police say Pavey, 24, shot Carr just after 11:30 a.m. His body was found on a sidewalk near 20th and Dudley streets. The two men had an ongoing feud, police said.
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During their investigation, police learned an acquaintance of Pavey’s called Welch from jail Sunday night. In the recorded conversation, investigators say, she told the caller she could lure Carr in because he trusted her and that she would use his money to pay the caller's bond.
Welch also said she would recruit the jail inmate's “ex-partner in crime†to help her. Police believe that person was Pavey.
In an affidavit for his arrest, police said Pavey picked up a shoebox containing a Springfield 9mm handgun from a friend's house about 7 p.m. Sunday. They did not say if they believe that was the gun used to kill Carr.
Moments after Pavey's appearance in court on Wednesday, relatives and friends of Pavey, Carr and Welch got into heated exchanges outside of the courtroom.
"I hope your daughter rots in hell," a woman shouted at people there to support Welch.
John Carr said he's glad police made arrests in his son's death quickly, but said he worries about Pavey being released.
"I'll just about bet he's out on the streets before trial," he said outside of the courtroom.
Lancaster County Judge James Foster set Pavey's bond at $500,000. Prosecutors noted he is a twice-convicted felon and a murder suspect. Lancaster County Attorney Joe Kelly said his office is reviewing the case and may file additional charges against Pavey within the week.
James Carr's parents said they can't understand why anyone would kill their son, who had three children younger than 10.
"For him to die in a car accident, I could have accepted that,"said Mary Carr, his mother. "I can't accept this."