Hi, Michael McCarters granddaughter here, they stated in court in front of my grandmother and young father, that the Lampkin brothers were gun runners between various cities.

Thank you so much for sharing that. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for your grandmother and father to sit through those court proceedings and hear such things said so openly. It’s incredibly brave of you to speak up and keep your family’s voice in these conversations.

Sharing the story honors his memory! Thank you for taking the time to comment so respectfully about my family!

Good for you! If we shine a light on what is wrong with this world we can fix it. Thank you for being so brave.

Zackery Alan Melton was my beloved son. He was murdered defending a woman from violent sex offender 46 year old Tyrone Jones of 26 Westminster Ave. After he murdered my son he kidnapped the woman my son died for. He was finally captured on May of 2025. His bail was set at 3.15 million cash bond. His preliminary hearing was in July of 2025. He has been charged with 8 counts. First degree murder, Kidnapping, domestic violence, a felon in possession of ammunition, a felon in possession of a firearm and a few more. The perp has insisted on a speedy trial. His trial will he sometime in October at the LAX courthouse. I am trying all I can to be there. If you would like more information please reach out. My son was unarmed he didn't have his shoes on. He heard a woman whom he barely knew screaming he went to aid her. There were many people around and my son was the only one to step in and defend her. He has done the same before he just died this time.

My son did not know the perpetrator.

I live in Venice and I remember this story very clearly. So sick and disgusting how some people are. I'm so so very sorry for your loss and hopefully this guy goes away for life! I still never understand them setting bail for crimes like this.

I was told the reason he has a bond is because he has never committed murder before. But the bond was really high and it had to be all cash in full. They set it to where he couldn't bail out and it gave the detectives time to build their case. The DA already backed the LAPD before he was captured. A rarity in CA. I have never been to California. It's unfortunate I am coming to represent my son who was shot dead by a man who had no business being on the streets much less with a gun to murder my son when he turned his back. My son died in a parking lot of a dog park. That hurts my soul.

My condolences for your loss. You raised a morally grounded son. He stepped in where there was need. He was a beautiful soul that made the world a better place. Thank you.

we understand maybe he has been at the M.E. office just sitting there... till 2 ladies hit on the Jackson County Doe. On facebook Jackson County Observer

I really hope that is not where he is. If that is him did you notify the M.E. office it might be him so they can involve the investigator?

I don't see how he could have gotten caught for all his victims. I would bet he had many more victims other than the ones he was convicted for. I have heard so many stories of truck drivers getting away with some pretty awful stuff because of the ability to 'get away' with it.

I'm not sure who you are, maybe you know me, maybe not. ... The pain as a mother is unbearable. coming up on the 7 year anniversary everyday feels like a battle with time as a single mother raising his siblings without support having to navigate maintaining, it is a battle. .. They arrested someone in 2019, at the time a 16 year old male. a phone call from the prosecutor to me stated " we are not going to file charges, He said it was self defense and we can not prove otherwise because it was raining and can not determine if evitan was running or if he was shot in his back due to a scuffle, the young man said evitan jumped out and that is how he got shot in the face" They let him go, they didn't have a weapon and probably will never have one, one key part of filing charges. However they have a confession from the young man stating HE was the one who shot Evitan IN SELF DEFENSE. however Evitan had NO WEAPONS on him. and the young man shot two people that night. Evitan was shot 3 times, according tot he coroner report, the shot to the face was NOT fatal, the shot to his Right leg was NOT fatal. However the shot to the back was..... according to the young mans testimony to police, the first show was to Evitan's face...... so I do wonder why he kept shooting him, I know my son, I also know myself, If I'm shot in the face, I'm running...... I write this because my membership here is temporary, and I want the truth out there somewhere.

Thank you for sharing your story. None of it makes sense to me either. I hope find peace. May God bless and keep you.

The alleged shooter was Taylor Alex Knowles (US Marsal out of Idaho). Taylor was a long time friend of Shawns. I recently found out that Taylor was Indicted on 2 charges Murder and Manslaughter by a Grand Jury with bail set at 10k$ per charge. The crazy part is even thouhh this all went down in Throckmorton County it was transferred to Young County for the Grand Jury. This feels like a big coverup being he was a Federal LEO from Idaho. Taylor shot Shawn with his duty weapon after a night of heavy drinking. I cant believe that there hasn’t been more news around all of this when a great member of this community was murdered yet this has all been played out as a “hunting accident”. How do you find out more on all of this?

Weird. So he was indicted for this murder correct? 10k bail is unheard of for a murder hold!

I agree, maybe Texas is different than what I am used to. He is scheduled for arraignment on sept 10th. https://recentlybooked.com/TX/Young/TAYLOR-NOLES~466_37168

To get only 10k bail for killing someone. I don't really understand how that was possible.

I’m curious, how do you know he was a US Marshal? I was able to pull some information about him and records show he has multiple DUIs, doesn’t seem like he should be able to be a Fed LEO with a record like that. I know the family, and the story was Taylor was a Navy SEAL, but I’m not sure about that either.

I am an LEO from Idaho as well. A U.S. Marshal alot of us knew getting charged with murder is talk of the town right now.

Kv, So, interested in your take. From your perspective, does this scream of nepotism as much as it looks like from the outside? I don't believe I've ever heard of a 10k bail for a murder suspect.

I dont know what to think honestly. From some of the rumors going around it sounds like Taylor has a short fuse and couple that with the way I hear he drinks makes me wonder if this was no accident. I just hope the truth is uncovered in the investigation and the family gets some closure of why and how their Husband/Father/Son is dead. I do believe that this has been very much swept under the rug so far because of his profession and how it would look to the U.S. Marshal Service.

Thanks for the info. It’s hard to find any information on this case. It seems like Taylor told people multiple different stories about the incident, none of which make any sense. People who knew Taylor in high school and shortly after all say they’re not surprised that he did something like this. I find it shocking that someone is allowed to be a fed LEO or any level LEO with a record like his.

Couldn’t agree with you more. Unfortunately its LEO’s like Taylor that give our profession a bad wrap. So Disgusting.

The whole situation is just 'Wow'. I have no words.

The woman you speak of is my mother. To say that Dennis’s passing affected her is an understatement she describes the period of shock after he died as a blur. She says she lost several weeks of memory. She can’t remember the funeral at all. She remembers my older brother crying day and night for Dennis. A doctor said that at 1 1/2 years old my brother was suffering from post traumatic grief.

She tried to remarry, to my dad Her heart was never in it. She always said Dennis was her soul mate.

My dad raised the two boys but he didn’t bond with them like a natural father would have.

My mother decided to stay single after my dad. Theres too much unresolved trauma there.

The sad part is that my mom is the only surviving spouse of any Alaska State Trooper to not get her spouse’s pension.

They said they hadn’t been married long enough. She’s fought the state for years on this. She’s sent bills to the state house and gets ignored.

I’ve heard her mention that some of the Troopers that were on the force at the time believe there was a cover up. She says some think he may have even been set up to be killed.

Three important witnesses in a high profile drug case to begin the next day, I believe, all dead in one swoop. Anchorage was a dark crime ridden place at that time. Just read “Johnny’s Girl” and you’ll get the idea.

Thank you for more context in this case and sharing the pain you and your family went through. We must all bear witness to the pain monsters and criminals cause. The violence and lack of just simple human decency has to change. May God bless you.

If anyone knows anything, has seen anything, heard anything, or knows anything, please say something. He is and will always be loved and missed. His family and friends are pleading with you.

I really hope someone does. It is agony waiting for a break in a case of a loved one. Stay strong!

I wonder if they will ever find out what happed to Joseph and Claude. I hope something happens, someone finds something. Some kind of closure for the family. This is just sad for people to just dissapear without a trace.

Hi. I am the father of Ransom and Jepsen Ruffcorn and they are still missing. I'm sorry for the late response, I've been hoping to be patient and let law enforcement find them but they are dragging their feet. I am now researching as much possible, paying for memberships and subscriptions, asking for help from all the communities.

The story is that Ransom was exposed to fentanyl, had a positive drug test, and it came from their mom, Jessica Ruffcorn (Rawlings). DCS wanted to remove the children from her care but Jessica took off before they could retrieve the children. Jessica lived with her parents Dawn and TIm so they also ran away with them as well. Do a Google search for any of these names and you'll get a ton of info now for all the people involved. Please let me know if there are any ideas you can think of to help find them. Thank you.

I hope you find them soon. It sounds like a very unsafe environment.