JNS BLOG SUPER EXCLUSIVE: "Purple Drank" Instagram Scam Was Likely Motive Behind Ladell Williams Shooting, In Which Eric Yzaguirre Was Wounded In Same Vehicle...

Photo of Eric Yzaguirre obtained from Facebook, used under First Amendment
Fair Comment and Criticism. The photo apparently depicts Eric on the way to
court, where he ends up a lot. 

The time has come to tell the sordid tale, as much of the sordid tale as I know, about a likely motive behind the shooting of Ladell Williams in South Minneapolis. I've already written about how homicide investigators wanted certain emails in my possession and I turned those over, click here. 

In summary, there was a scam being operated on the internet which involved something called "Purple Drank," which is prescription-strength cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine mixed with beverages like Sprite and Mountain Dew. Pieces of Jolly Rancher candy are added for, I would assume, flavor and sweetness. The drink gets its name from the dyes in the cough syrup.

Who knew? If you want to read all about Purple Drank, which reportedly rocketed to popularity after gaining a following in the underground rap scene of Houston, click here for a Wikipedia article. 

So how does this all become a likely motive in the shooting of Ladell Williams?

Well...

I will tell you what I know, and it's a mess. On September 12 of last year, somebody using the name "Jay H" contacted me by email. Jay was unhappy with Jerome Yzaguirre and, while researching Jerome on the internet, Jay turned up my numerous writings about the troubled Yzaguirre family, click here for a fine example. So Jay thought I'd like to hear about something in which Jerome was (so Jay alleged) involved.

Jerome's connection to North Minneapolis comes through his mother, "Crazy" Terry Yzaguirre of the Mpls Mirror, who likes to slam this blogger and the North Minneapolis neighborhood revitalization movement in general. It is the general consensus of decent people in the neighborhood ("decent" being defined as those whose sons aren't Oklahoma drug runners) that Terry Yzaguirre has a screw loose and her offspring have paid a steep price for Terry's half-assed parenting.

Anyway, the email conversation with Jay went like this over the course of a few days:

JAY: THESE NIGGAS BEEN SCAMMIN PEOPLE OUT THEY MONEY FOR SUM DRANK. I SEE U B POSTING BOUT THEM ALOT GOOGLE IS A MUFUCKA LOOOOL. I THOUGHT I WOULD INFORM U OF THESE SCHEMIN ASS NIGGAS AND THEY GONE FUCK AROUND WIT THE WRONG 1 AND END UP MERKED.

JOHNNY: Please, tell me MORE.

JAY: I aint tryin 2 get in trouble wit the feds but these niggas on the app instagram claimin they got prometh/codeine takin niggas money wit the money pack or western union. These fuck bois sendin dirty sweaters empty bottles bags of rice under fake azz names then claimin they aint send shit I got a whole instagram pg dedicated to niggas like them and they friend ledell jamal williams III if you got that app my instagram name is datniggajay

That nigga Jerome b howlin off at the mouth on my shit and we told dat babymoms of his to get dat nigga in check but she claim she aint wit him and dont wanna be in the drama which I'm gone respect. They gone fuck around and take money from the wrong nigga tho

JOHNNY: Look, Jay, I get the feeling we come from different worlds but I have some police friends I could tell about this, if they're really selling prometh/codeine and using Instagra (sic) to advertise.

What name does Jerome Yzaguirre use?

JAY: they ain't actually sellin the drank tho they jus makin it seem like they got it so when a nigga asks they b sayin hit me up at my email ill get you my #.  Dat nigga Jerome number is (number withheld by JNS blog) and his email is (email withheld by JNS blog) and his instagram name is fbg_nm for now that nigga keep fuckin changin his name when he scam niggas but ill send u sum pics of him and that fuck boi brother of his from instagram so u kno what I mean. I ain't tryin 2 get introuble tho and I ain't tryin 2 get the people dat want drank in trouble either and knowin that bitchazz jerome got babies that nigga need 2 b locked up or sumthin along wit dat bro and they scary azz friend juney soprano not killed cuz I kno them babies still need a daddy.

(Jay forwarded a number of images, which are below, which were forwarded to my police contact who forwarded the images to Narcotics)

JOHNNY: Jay, I forwarded all your stuff to my police contact and he said it looks like a pretty good scam and it's just the kind of thing that will get somebody killed. He is putting the right people on it.

Don't go tipping off Yzaguirre, OK? In fact, you might want to quit talking to him for a while so he doesn't know he's been tipped off.

It's really for his own good. If he is scamming people this way, he is likely to get killed and he won't be around to support his child, and his child is pretty young, too. A damn shame that would be.

Thank you for giving a damn and contacting me. This is not the kind of thing I would write about until and unless he gets arrested. But then, yeah, I'd write about it. (...)

JAY: i ain't sayin shit lool im not no snitch but im a father and as a dad I kno his kid needs him. i dont like that mufucka  or his slick azz bro who deleted all his comments but they need 2 quit. i was jus shown a pic of one of the return addresses says 3808 chicago ave s sum1 told me thats sum corner store.

they friend juney soprano ledell whateva i think gone get hisself introuble 2 he fucked sum1 out 2600 dats tha shit I dont like.

I tried talkin 2 his babymoms but she b ignorin me she wont accept me and only pops in when ppl tlk bout her or her babies. Dont know much bout her cept she cute she got dat nigga babies and her name (name withheld by JNS blog) lool.

i found u thru google LOL dat nigga needs his moms to free his whip but he drivin everthan expensive out here.

Fuck them tho.  

(At this point, Jay forwarded the following three images)

JOHNNY: Jay, I forwarded that information to my high-ranking police contact. I am not sure how to prove that's the same Yzaguirre as the one I know and not, for example, somebody using his name and image?

Anyway, maybe the police can sort it out. I have to tell you I don't even use Instagram or know what it's all about. I had no idea people were making illegal deals on it. It's just fascinating.

As far as the Yzaguirres feeding their children; they would do well to concentrate on a jobby job instead of hustles.

JAY: guess the only way 2 find out is from babymoms but she probably gone say wat she told every1 else that she dont got shit 2 do wit it...her name start with (Jay gives first two letters of her name) I think  but like I said i aint tryin 2 get nobody in trouble or b in trouble myself but them niggas need 2 quit false advertisin shit.

(Jay then forwarded more images, as follows)

(And, by the way, I can't necessarily follow the conversation. But this much I can figure out. People who tried to buy "purple drank" are claiming to have been scammed, and they are very unhappy)

 Ultimately, my police contact told me that without a victim willing to give evidence to the police, there was very little they could do.

Some months later, Ladell Williams (a/k/a June, a/k/a Juney, a/k/a Juney Soprano) was shot in South Minneapolis. Unknown if he is still clinging to life support. Jerome Yzaguirre was in the back seat and was not injured. Eric Yzaguirre (pictured above) was in the front seat and was wounded.

Exactly as "Jay" had predicted, the alleged drank scam ended in violence.