‘Targeted assassination’: Feds link unsolved Lexington killing to West End gang
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- Judge cites Waide's violent ties, order detention pending Aug. 2025 trial
- Court docs reveal West End gang ties to Lexington murders
The unsolved killing of a federal witness two years ago in Lexington was a “targeted assassination” by a criminal street gang, according to new court documents.
Kristopher Lewis, 28, was found shot to death in September 2023 on Trade Street, between a pair of warehouses near Alexandria Drive. At the time, police said the killing happened after an altercation between Lewis and an unknown suspect.
But court documents in another case reveal for the first time that authorities now think Lewis’ death was part of an orchestrated hit by members of “The Hot Boyz,” a West End Lexington street gang.
Lewis was facing drug charges, investigators say, and he was cooperating with police.
Prosecutors say he died as a result.
The death of Kristopher Lewis
Lewis was indicted, alongside Rollie Lamar, in 2022 for conspiracy to distribute marijuana and commit money laundering.
At the time of his arrest, Lamar had more than $2 million in assets, including luxury cars, high-end jewelry and guns, prosecutors say.
And in 2023, police allege, he used $1,000 of those funds to order a hit on Lewis.
Lewis was going to testify at Lamar’s February2024 trial, court documents show. But he was gunned down first.
Police believe Lewis was killed by four members of the Hot Boyz, a gang on Lexington’s West Side, which includes the south ends of Newtown Pike and Georgetown Road.
Still, Lamar was convicted in a February 2024 trial and sentenced to 18 years in prison, according to online court records.
The four gang members planned to split the $1 million — $250,000 apiece,investigators say.
One of them was Quincino Lamont Waide Jr., now 24, prosecutors say.
Waide was charged this month with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence.
A federal detention order — a filing where prosecutors argue Waide should not be released on bail in that case — reveals what prosecutors say led to Lewis — and several others’ — deaths.
Waide has not been charged with any homicides, and he has little criminal history. His lawyer, Whitley Lawson, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.
But prosecutors argue in the detention order, filed June 4, that his connection to the Hot Boyz makes him a threat to the community.
Police say Waide facilitated a second getaway car that was used in Lewis’ killing, and cell phone records place Waide near the scene of the abandoned car.
Text messages between Waide and three other members of the Hot Boyz discussed splitting the $1 million, though they did not specifically mention the murder, according to court documents.
“This does not suggest that Waide was involved in or responsible for the Lewis murder; however, it does strongly suggest that Waide is uncomfortably close with murder suspects and a getaway car,” the order read.
No one has been charged in Lewis’ death, but federal prosecutors said they intend to charge Waide in a future indictment.
The death of Jadyn Sleet
The detention order also outlines Waide’s alleged involvement in the Oct. 24, 2024, death of 20-year-old, Jadyn Sleet, of Georgetown.
Sleet was found shot to death near Tates Creek and Armstrong Mill roads. A second victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Micah Carter, 18, was eventually charged with murder about two months after Sleet’s death. Sleet’s family members belong to a rival gang that’s been “antagoniz(ed)“ for years by the Hot Boyz, police say.
Just two days after the killing, a high-speed car chase happened at Old Todds Road and Palumbo Driveinvolving a silver Lexus and a Chevy Cruze and gunfire was exchanged, according to court documents.
The Chevy Cruze was found abandoned, with three tires shot out. It was registered to Waide’s aunt, according to police. Waide’s medical records were in the backseat alongside spent shell casings.
Then, in April 2025, while investigating Lewis’ death, police searched thehome of Waide’s girlfriend, where he sometimes stayed. They found a Glock 21 in an air vent that matched the shell casings found in the abandoned car.
Waide’s girlfriend told police the firearm was hers.
Other incidents that prosecutors argued are connected to self-identified members of the Hot Boyz include an August 2019 shooting at Bluegrass Community and Technical College and a March 2024 shooting that riddled a police detective’s car with 30 bullets.
The detention order
United States Magistrate Judge Matthew Stinnett was tasked with determining whether Waide will remain in custody while awaiting the resolution of his gun charge.
Waide has never been convicted of a felony. His only previousconvictionwas domestic violence — a misdemeanor at the time — for pushing his former girlfriend to the floor and choking her while she held their child.
Waide has four children,strong family tiesand longstanding employment with an automotive company, his lawyer argued. Those circumstances factor into whether a judge grants bail.
But Stinnett ultimately sided with prosecutors and ruled Waide should remain in jail until trial.
In his ruling, Stinnett posted a question to the lawyers and Waide: Are you, in fact, the company you keep?
Stinnett was critical of some pieces of evidence submitted by prosecutors, but he said Waide had strong ties to the Hot Boyz and was “uncomfortably close” with the murder suspects.
“One conclusion is clear: Waide’s associations are steeped in violence and homicides,” Stinnett wrote in his 16-page order. “There is simply too much violence and chaos in Waide’s orbit.”
Waide’s trial is scheduled for Aug. 12 in Frankfort.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the amount prosecutors allege was paid to the men for the killing.
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
