FRANKLIN, Va. — A Franklin man was sentenced to 22 years and nine months in prison for conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), 31-year-old Malik Newsome, also known as "Red" or "Hitman Red," is the final defendant sentenced for his role in a "violent spree" committed by members of a Blood-affiliated criminal enterprise in and around Franklin.
Newsome and four others were involved in three shootings between late 2017 and early 2019, a DOJ release said.
When a high-ranking member of the gang was murdered by a rival Crip-affiliated gang, the group "hunted down and shot members and associated of the Crip gang," the DOJ release stated.
One victim was shot in their extremities; two other victims had gunshot wounds to their torsos, leaving each with colostomy bags and other permanent injuries, according to the DOJ.
A federal judge convicted Newsome and two others in December of last year. Newsome was convicted of conspiracy to murder in aid of racketeering, along with witness tampering and obstruction of an official proceeding.
The three others convicted in the crimes were sentenced for 10, 25, and 35 years in prison.
