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  • Prince William Man Indicted for Orchestrating Wife’s Murder from Prison
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Prince William Man Indicted for Orchestrating Wife’s Murder from Prison

Lionel M. Carter III was incarcerated for the 2014 murder of his girlfriend when police say he conspired to have his wife killed in February.

By Maggie Roth December 4, 2024 at 10:53 am

A Prince William County man who was convicted in the shooting death of his high school girlfriend in 2014 has now been indicted in the murder-for-hire style killing of his wife, Egypt Zapporah Carter, who was shot to death this February.  

Lionel M. Carter III, 34, and three other men — two of whom had previously been arrested in the case — were indicted by a grand jury in Prince William County on Monday, December 2 for Zapporah Carter’s death. The 23-year-old victim from Burlington, North Carolina, was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds in her car on February 2 in Woodbridge.  

Police say their investigation revealed that Carter conspired to have the victim killed, and that the plot involved three additional men who helped carry out the murder.  

“The victim was reportedly lured to the area of Bronson Court and Brickwood Drive in Woodbridge under a ruse to allegedly pick up prescription narcotics for her husband,” police said. “Instead, the victim was ambushed and killed.”  

Denzel Scott Wade, 30, and Drew Courtney Buchanan, 27, were both arrested in October for their involvement in the case and were indicted on new charges on Monday. The third suspect to receive an indictment Monday was Grorethas Gresean McKinnon Jr., 26, who was already incarcerated “on unrelated matters,” police say. All four suspects remain in custody.  

Carter, Wade, and McKinnon were indicted for aggravated murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, shooting at an occupied vehicle, and conspiracy to commit a felony. Buchanan was indicted for aggravated murder and conspiracy to commit a felony.  

While awaiting trial for this case, Carter currently has a prison release date of 2049 on charges related to the 2014 killing of his girlfriend, Kadijah Stewart, in Chesterfield, WTOP reported.

Feature image, stock.adobe.com

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Maggie Roth

Maggie Roth

Associate Editor

Maggie Roth is the associate editor for Northern Virginia Magazine, where she covers news and culture in the NoVA area. Originally from New Jersey, she is a graduate of George Mason University and joined the magazine in 2021 as an editorial intern.

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