Failed hit case lands in court

Trio charged with attempted mob-style killing

Trial was scheduled to begin Monday for three people charged with plotting a failed 2004 mob-style hit on a north Lawrence drug informant.

On trial in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., are former Lawrence residents Andre L. “Dre” Ivory, 29, and his girlfriend, Pamela R. Tyler, 49, along with Tyler’s brother, Mark M. “Smooth” McGee, 33, of Kansas City, Kan.

The three are charged with orchestrating the April 2004 shooting of Tania Atkins, who authorities said had helped Lawrence police build a cocaine-dealing case against Ivory by making undercover drug buys.

Because of Atkins’ help, Ivory was arrested in March 2004 and charged in federal court with dealing cocaine. Prosecutors allege that as Ivory was in jail awaiting trial, he told Tyler he wanted to kill Atkins to make the case go away, and that Tyler and McGee then recruited people to carry out the act.

Atkins, age 28 at the time of the shooting, was driving home from her job as a janitor on April 29, 2004, when a stolen Oldsmobile crashed into her van at Seventh and Locust Streets in north Lawrence. The driver of the Oldsmobile – later identified as Kyle A. Crayton of Kansas City, Kan. – got out and started shooting.

A 9 mm slug tore through both of Atkins’ legs, but Crayton’s gun jammed and she was able to get away and flag down police.

Crayton, 25, and two other accomplices, Lawrence residents Kimberly Sanders, 27, and Chaconie “CC” Edwards, 27, reached plea agreements earlier this year to reduced charges.

Prosecutors alleged Edwards was Crayton’s getaway driver and that Sanders helped gather information on Atkins and tried to set up opportunities for the shooting.

Ivory and Tyler both are former residents of Pinnacle Woods, 5000 Clinton Parkway. According to court records, Ivory pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court last week to the original charges related to drug dealing: six counts of either distributing or possessing with intent to distribute crack cocaine.