Suspect charged with murder of woman in Las Vegas, now linked to three other murders

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The man arrested last year for the suspected murder of a woman in Las Vegas is now believed to be linked to three other murders, police said Tuesday.

Michael Coleman, 40, was arrested in 2023 for the murder of Kidada Stewart and remains held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center while awaiting trial.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt. Jason Johansson said Coleman is now a suspect in the murders of Benjamin McCarty and Marcus Larry in 2021 and William Hill in 2022. He is also accused of a shooting that left one person injured in 2021.

News 3 has reached out to Coleman's attorney for comment.

Johansson said Coleman was working with Carl Chester, a man accused of Paycheck Protection Program loan fraud.

Chester and his accomplices allegedly shared their money with other people, and when Chester did not get his share of the loan, he hired Coleman to kill them or their family members, Johansson said.

Investigators identified the getaway driver in the McCarty murder, who has since taken a plea deal and been convicted. Johansson said McCarty, Coleman and the driver were believed to be members of the Rolling 60s Crips street gang.

“In the current investigation, we believe the motive behind this is internal conflicts within the gangs that are linked to the charges from the early 2000s,” Johansson said.

Larry was killed at a Teriyaki Madness location in Summerlin. Investigators initially arrested Oscar Richardson for the shooting, but he was later exoneratedand DNA later led police to Coleman.

“We made a mistake in this investigation and that is why we have moved forward with the arrest of Michael Coleman,” Johansson said.

Hill was shot while working on his car outside his home. Johansson told reporters that Hill was the target because Hill's son is an inmate in a federal prison.

Carl Chester was killed earlier this spring, presumably in retaliation for Hill's murder.

Coleman pleaded not guilty to Kidada's murder last summer, and the Clark County District Attorney's Office said at the time that it would not seek the death penalty. His trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 14.