Yellowhouse Canyon Murder Mystery Put to Rest
By: Import User
Updated: March 12, 2009
The sixth and final defendant in the Yellowhouse Canyon murder plead guilty to the crime in court on Thursday, and with the case now closed, officials revealed the disturbing motive behind the murder.
Six suspects have now been convicted of murder and sent to prison for stabbing to death a 17-year-old Lubbock boy back in 2005, and investigators say the motive behind this gruesome crime all stems from the killers' desires to start a rap group together. Thursday morning, 30-year-old Thamar Snyder got five years in prison for taking part in the murder of 17-year-old Bernard Wilson. Investigators say Snyder and five others killed him inside a home near 45th and Boston in April of 2005, and then dumped his body in Yellowhouse Canyon. His remains weren't found until December, 2005. Then, it took officials another two years to identify them as Wilson's. Officials say the group decided to kill Wilson after a robbery went badly. They had tried to hold up a local Whataburger to get money to fund their rap group. But, when a fast food employee recognized them and they thought police were after them, they all turned on Bernard thinking he would snitch to the police about the attempted robbery.
"He was the newest to this group of people. They felt he was the youngest ... the weakest link. If anyone had to talk to law enforcement, [they thought] he would be the one to give them up," says Texas Ranger Sgt. Tony Arnold. District Attorney Matt Powell adds, "Anyone who had any invovlement, a large role or small role, has been brought to justice on this deal."
Now, Thamar and three of the other killers are serving 5 to 10 year sentences because police say they were not involved in stabbing Bernard, but they helped clean up and cover up the crime afterwards. The two who actually killed the teen are serving more than 25 years each.
