Sixth person arraigned in killing at Super 8
Suspect allegedly was catalyst for plot to kill man at Hartford hotel
Jehroam Ormsby, 24, the sixth person charged in the conspiracy that led to the shooting death of Kashnielle Haye, 23, on Jan. 12 at a North Meadows motel, was arraigned Monday in Superior Court in Hartford and saw his bail raised.
The conspiracy, according to an arrest warrant, was set in motion by the theft of a pair of designer sunglasses. The killing is at least the seventh in Greater Hartford since 2005 that involved a dispute over stolen sunglasses.
Ormsby was the last of the six people implicated in the killing of Haye to be picked up by police and the last arraigned.
The lifelong city resident has strong ties to Hartford and has always appeared for past court appearances, said Hartford lawyer William Gerace, who has represented Ormsby in the past. Ormsby attends the University of Hartford, Gerace said.
In asking for lower bail, Gerace said Ormsby knew there was a warrant for his arrest and met with Gerace at his office to talk about representation. He asked for a $500,000 bail.
A bail commissioner recommended $1 million bail, the same as for the others charged in the case. But Hartford Superior Court Judge Laura F. Baldini increased Ormsby’s bail to $1.125 million, citing past firearms convictions, that he was on probation for a felony and “concern for the safety of the community.”
Ormsby, according to the warrant for his arrest, was the catalyst for the plot that resulted in Haye’s killing. In retaliation for the killing of Haye, someone set a fire outside the Ormsby family home on Chatham Street and someone shot Ormsby’s mother, Karen Leon, 57, on Plainfield Street. Both incidents occurred Jan. 15 and no one has been charged in connection with those crimes.
Ormsby; Denzell Bell, 25, of Enfield Street, Hartford; Quinton Prince, 25, of Colebrook Street, Hartford; Kareem Andrew, 23, of Woodland Drive, Hartford; Tiasjah Acosta, 21, of Bina Avenue, Windsor; and Andrea Silvers, 21, of Merli Road, Windsor, were charged with felony murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery and attempted first-degree robbery.
Haye stole a pair of Cartier sunglasses from Ormsby on Dec. 31, according to the warrant. Ormsby then conspired with his co-defendants to rob Haye in the motel room to get his sunglasses back. Ormsby and the three other men were notified by the women when Haye arrived at the motel and what room they were in. The four stormed into the motel room to rob Haye and he was fatally shot during a struggle.
The plot appears to have begun about a week prior to Haye’s killing when Ormsby asked Acosta to get in touch with Haye. She did and began to hang out with Haye, she told police, according to the warrant. Acosta told police that Haye confirmed to her he’d stolen Ormsby’s Cartier sunglasses. On Jan. 11, Acosta and Silvers met with Ormsby and Ormsby asked them to lure Haye to the hotel with the promise of sex and alcohol and to get him drunk. Once in the hotel room, Acosta told police she contacted Ormbsy to tell him what room they were in.