According to police, an armed robber who was shot and killed by a bystander was just pretending to hold up a couple in a twisted, ongoing conspiracy to obtain nonimmigrant visas, and an alleged accomplice is facing felony murder charges.
Rasshauud Scott, 22, was seen on a security camera late Jan. 27 approaching a couple filling up their car at a Chevron gas station in Houston, Texas, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
After allegedly robbing the couple of a pocketbook and wallet, he fled—uuntil a concerned witness pulled out a revolver and shot him in the head, killing him, according to the affidavit.
However, a series of texts eventually revealed that Scott wasn’t even robbing the pair; his widow, Sade Beverly, told cops it “was a set up” as part of an ongoing crime ring, according to the documents.
According to the complaint, Scott’s alleged accomplice, William Winfrey, 30, informed him the fatal robbery would be the “usual gas pump shit” and instructed him to “make all that shit look real.”
During a police interview, one of the alleged victims “confirmed that the robbery was in fact a set-up, and the purpose of the scheme is to obtain a U-visa,” according to the affidavit.
That refers to “U Nonimmigrant Status,” which is awarded to victims of certain crimes who have experienced mental or physical abuse and are willing to assist authorities in investigating or prosecuting perpetrators.
Police discovered a “pattern” of similar reported robberies, and the victims “had applied for or been granted U-visas due to their status as victims of these crimes,” according to the affidavit.
Winfrey was arrested Wednesday and accused of murder in relation to Scott’s death. He was denied bond on Monday.
He stated in sworn interviews that he and Scott carried out “staged robberies” for about a year “in order to obtain a U-visa” for the people involved, according to the affidavit.
Sade Beverly, Scott’s fiancée, stated that she will now have to raise their two children alone.
“He really did not deserve what happened to him. He was making a poor decision. “I am not defending him, of course, but he did not deserve to die,” she told Fox 26.
Beverly admitted that what he was doing was wrong, but she believed he should have his day in court.
“Someone died at the end of the day. “Have some decorum,” she advised the publication. “It would eventually catch up with him, and he’d have to learn the hard way. He simply took him out. He didn’t get the chance to correct his faults.”
The woman further stated that the “real issue” is loose gun restrictions.
“They ought to change.” I don’t understand how somebody can claim it’s okay to take someone’s life. “It’s never okay,” Beverly added.
She also urged the bystander who shot her husband to face charges.
The shooter, later identified as Jesus Vargas, fled before surrendering and telling cops he opened fire because he feared for his own life and the lives of the two people he believed were being attacked and held up at gunpoint.
“He is the one behind the trigger. “He made that decision,” Scott’s widow told Fox 26 of Vargas.
ABC 13 reports that police released Vargas after concluding he was not involved in the false robbery.
There was no quick decision regarding potential charges against him in relation to the incident.
Additionally, no records exist that indicate whether the phony robbery victims faced charges.
