A Jefferson Parish jury on Thursday evening (Sept. 5) found Myron Lee guilty of his role as the mastermind behind an armed robbery that left his victim – a fellow Louisiana National Guardsman – shot to death.
Lee, 22, of Gonzales, is guilty as charged of the second-degree murder of Jemond Cador, 21, who was shot seven times in his Terrytown apartment on Dec. 6, 2021, the jury unanimously found.
Lee and Cador were acquainted through the Army National Guard unit to which they were assigned. A week before the homicide, Lee visited Cador at his apartment in the 200 block of Wright Avenue. Shortly after, Lee conceived the plan to rob Cador.
“In his own words, he was tired of being broke,” Assistant District Attorney Zach Grate told jurors Wednesday morning in opening statements.
Lee recruited four others to help in the robbery. Without receiving permission, he took two semiautomatic pistols from his stepfather. Lee also obtained from his stepfather an AR-15-style rifle, which was unloaded but used as an intimidation tactic. He supplied masks to his cohorts and drove them to Cador’s apartment complex.
Lee kicked in the apartment door. Just inside, Cador resisted, leading to a physical fight with Lee. Armed with one of the pistols that Lee provided, one of Lee’s cohorts, Gerald Little, opened fire. Cador died almost immediately. Little was the only perpetrator to discharge a weapon.
The five men fled. Driving a black 2008 GMC Yukon, one of Lee’s cohorts was traveling at more than 20 mph over the speed limit on Interstate 10 just west of Kenner when a Louisiana State Police trooper pulled him over.
Unaware of their involvement in the homicide, the trooper ordered the five men out of the SUV. The trooper found the firearms, ordered background checks on the weapons, and learned they were not reported stolen. Neither Lee nor his cohorts were wanted. The trooper issued speeding citation, and the suspects drove on.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office obtained surveillance video from Cador’s apartment complex and saw four of the five suspects going to the apartment (one of the suspects remained in the SUV). Unable to clearly see the SUV’s license plate in the video, but seeing that the vehicle had damage, detectives used the license plate recognition system cameras to identify the suspects’ vehicle, leading to arrests.
Following his arrest at his Gonzales residence on Dec. 13, 2021, Lee confessed to planning the robbery, recruiting cohorts and executing the plan. Detectives also recovered evidence from Lee’s cell phone that tied him to the murder scene.
Lee is the last of five codefendants who have been convicted or pleaded guilty for their roles in Cador’s death. A look at Lee’s codefendants shows:
- Little, 21, of Loranger, who was the only shooter, was convicted as charged of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit armed robbery by a jury on Oct. 18, 2023. He was sentenced to life in prison.
- Isaiah White, 22, of Covington, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy to commit armed robbery on July 18, 2023 and has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. White was armed with a firearm that Lee provided.
- Kewane K. Edwards, 24, of Harvey, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy to commit armed robbery on Aug. 16, 2023 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
- Matthew Kerry Smith, 22, of Covington, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy to commit armed robbery on Nov. 20, 2023 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Lee’s attorneys said he never intended for Cador to be killed. They told jurors that Lee conceived a “flawed plan fueled by youthful ignorance and foolish decisions.” Cador was killed because Little “panicked” and opened fire. They urged jurors to find Lee not guilty.
Jurors who were seated on Tuesday and began hearing evidence Wednesday deliberated about 1 hour and 45 minutes before returning to the courtroom with their verdicts just before 6 p.m., Thursday.
In addition to second-degree murder, the jurors convicted Lee of obstruction of justice for eliminating evidence connecting him and his cohorts to the crime, and of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
Judge Jacqueline Maloney of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Lee on Sept. 16.
Assistant District Attorneys Zach Grate and Alyssa Aleman prosecuted Lee’s and Little’s cases.