WACO, Texas — Editor's Note: The attached video aired on Feb. 16.
Two Temple men were sentenced on Monday, Sept. 23 after being convicted of crimes that violated the Racketeering Influence Corrupt Organization (RICO) and Hobbs Acts, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney's Office in the Western District of Texas.
Atorius Marquis Williams, 27, and Trashawn Lamar Alexander, 30, known as Lil Man and Mad Max respectively, were members of a criminal organization referred to as Killas With Aggression (KWA), which the US Attorney's Office described as a gang that is "engaged in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce by, among other things, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to rob persons engaged in the distribution of controlled substances."
Among the crimes Williams and Alexander were sentenced for were four murders, multiple violent assaults, extortion, and drug trafficking and armed robberies. In February, the two were convicted alongside Demonta Daniels, known as Tado or Tato, for four murders that took place from September 2017 to January 2018 in Belton and Temple.
The indictment against the three alleges the men were involved in the following murders:
- A murder in Belton by Williams on Sept. 30, 2017
- A second murder by Williams and Alexander on Dec. 10, 2017 in Temple
- A third murder in Temple by Williams and Daniels on Jan. 16, 2018
- A fourth murder by all three men in Temple on Jan. 31, 2018
Williams and Alexander were sentenced to life in prison on Monday and a concurrent 20 years in prison for three other crimes brought against them. Daniels will receive his prison sentence at a later date, the U.S. Attorney's Office says.
"The result in this case is a testament to this office's commitment to seek justice for our community members," said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. "It reflects the hard work and interagency cooperation of our federal and state law enforcement partners, whose efforts brought this case to a successful conclusion. Violence in our communities will not be tolerated and justice will be served."