Four Students Held in Abductions, Robberies

Gene Warner, Buffalo News, Feb. 5

The University at Buffalo’s two campuses were rocked last fall when four kidnapping-robberies occurred within a month, but the investigation resulted in a surprising conclusion Wednesday.

Four University at Buffalo students were kidnapping and robbing fellow students, targeting students they thought were small-time marijuana dealers, authorities say.

“They figured these kids wouldn’t be likely to tell police, because they didn’t want to say they were selling grass,” District Attorney Frank J. Clark said of the accused kidnappers.

The campus was stunned in October and November by four gunpoint kidnap-robberies on and near the two UB campuses.

Clark announced the arrests of the four young men—identified as a recent UB graduate, two students who attended UB at the time of the crimes and a former UB student.

The four are accused in two kidnap-robberies on the night of Nov. 23, plus earlier incidents Nov. 14 and Oct. 28.

Students were abducted at gunpoint, robbed and later released, though at least one victim jumped out of his abductors’ vehicle.

One of the victims was beaten and kicked, and suffered a punctured lung, before being released by his captors, police said.

The thieves targeted students they thought would have some money from their possible marijuana dealing, authorities said.

The district attorney’s office, working with the Buffalo police and UB police, identified the four indicted men as Andre Simpson, 21, of Lisbon Avenue, a UB student at the time; Keno McLeod, 22, of Lisbon Avenue, a UB graduate; Clayton Howard, 23, of Warren Avenue, a former UB student; and Marvin Nelson, 20, of Lisbon Avenue, a UB student at the time.

All four pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of kidnapping, robbery and assault when arraigned Wednesday afternoon before Erie County Judge Timothy J. Drury.

At the request of prosecutor Jeffrey J. Hagen, Drury ordered Simpson to remain jailed in lieu of $240,000 bail; McLeod to remain jailed in lieu of $190,000 bail; and Howard to remain jailed in lieu of $75,000 bail.

Though Hagen requested that Marvin be jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail, Drury allowed him to remain free on the $50,000 bail bond posted by his father.

“It’s discouraging and surprising to me that those who were given an opportunity to get a higher education would resort to something like this,” Clark said.

In announcing the arrests, authorities said two previous suspects arrested following one of the Nov. 23 incidents have been exonerated.

On that night, an Erie Community College student jumped from his captors’ vehicle at Main Street and Northrup Place. He provided a description to police, who apprehended the two suspects and brought them back to the victim, who said they looked like his captors.

Later, Simpson turned himself in to police and told detectives they had the wrong people in custody.

“It became plain to us that it had been a case of mistaken identity, and we released them immediately,” Clark said.

The district attorney also said there was no connection between the UB kidnap-robberies and the killing of Bobby L. Hayes, 17, who was kidnapped at gunpoint, then stabbed to death on the West Side last week.

Drury scheduled further proceedings for all four defendants for Feb. 25. News Staff Reporter Matt Gryta contributed to this report.