New Year's Day homicide was a 'hit' set up by Port St. Lucie woman over drugs, police say

FORT PIERCE — The New Year’s Day shooting that fatally injured an 18-year-old man was a “hit” set up by a Port St. Lucie woman stemming from an earlier drug rip-off, according to statements made to police. 

Fort Pierce police late on New Year’s Day found Jamal Booker face down with gunshot wounds to his head at an apartment complex in the 1200 block of North 29th Street. 

More: Four arrests in New Year's Day homicide in Fort Pierce

After a complex investigation with links to Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, four people were charged in the killing. 

Affidavits for two of those arrested, Amir Tafari Muhammad, 27, of Wellington; and Megan Nichole Craig, 23, of Port St. Lucie, were sealed, but records relating to the arrest of Dwayne Anthony Fisher, 31, of Coconut Creek, recently were released.  Anastasia Benincasa, 17, of Fort Lauderdale, also was arrested in the case. 

The Fisher affidavit showed police used surveillance video and determined a Toyota 4Runner backed into a parking space of the Pinecreek Village apartment complex shortly before the shooting. 

One person got out and stood in front of a hallway, talking on a phone and smoking.  Booker, on his cell phone, walked by as the person who got out of the Toyota pulled a pistol.  A second person on the video watched the encounter. 

More: Records sealed in New Year's Day fatal shooting of 18-year-old Jamal Booker

Phone call helps police

The first person fired once at Booker from point-blank range, firing two more shots after Booker fell.  Both of the people got in the Toyota and left the scene. 

Police researched Booker’s phone and found a call seconds before he was shot.  Investigators were led to Muhammad, who was released from state prison in March 2018 after an attempted murder conviction, according to court records. 

Craig is Muhammad’s girlfriend, who told police she met Booker through the dating site Plenty of Fish “to offer her services as a marijuana dealer,” records said. 

More: Port St. Lucie woman charged with murder in shooting death of 18-year-old Fort Pierce man

Craig told investigators she and Booker were supposed to meet Dec. 30 so Booker could buy $900 worth of marijuana, a half pound.  She said Booker robbed her of the drugs and Booker said he had a gun. 

Craig said she and Muhammad were very upset about the stolen marijuana.  Craig said Muhammad told her he was going to kill Booker and she drove him to the apartments to scope out the area. 

Plan in place

“She said she knew the plan was for Amir to kill Jamal and then evade police detection,” records said. “ Megan confessed to being the person who ultimately set up a hit on Jamal Booker.” 

More: Man drives car into house, stabs another man, PSL police say

Fort Pierce police Detective Jeffrey Wachendorfer said on the night of the shooting, investigators believe Fisher and his friend, Muhammad, traveled to the apartment complex in the Toyota 4Runner. 

Wachendorfer said Benincasa is Fisher’s girlfriend.  Benincasa told investigators that on the day of the killing, she was at a “tattoo party” when Fisher and Muhammad said they wanted to “take care of something.” 

Benincasa said she knew they planned on killing someone, and drove them to Fort Pierce. 

She said she was in a three-way call with Booker and Muhammad.  She said after the shooting, she drove them to Muhammad’s apartment so he could change.  They then returned to the “tattoo party.” 

Benincasa said they threw the firearm, described as a pink gun, into a canal in Fort Lauderdale. 

“She was also upset about how sloppy Amir was, knowing that there was cameras and using his cell phone,” the affidavit said. 

While customarily not naming juveniles accused of crimes, TCPalm.com and Treasure Coast Newspapers does name some juveniles depending on the seriousness of the crime, their age, aggravating circumstances and other factors. 

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