Two Florida men have been charged with murder two years after setting up, robbing, and shooting a man outside his Pensacola apartment complex.
On December 27, 2020, ESCO deputies discovered the body of 24-year-old Andrew Howard IV, shot to death outside of an apartment complex on the 8000-block of North 9th Avenue.
At the time, deputies had very little information about the incident, except surveillance video from a nearby business showing a “box style” SUV leaving the apartment complex after the shooting occurred.
The following day on December 28th, the same style SUV seen leaving the apartment complex was found near the intersection of Ashland Avenue and Detroit Boulevard, burned with only the metal portions of the vehicle intact.
The car was traced back to Ellis Miguel Clark, who had just reported the SUV stolen. Surveillance video collected nearby indicated Clark set his own SUV on fire and lied about the incident. Clark was arrested and charged with arson and making a false report to law enforcement.
His phone was collected as evidence and an extensive forensic investigation ensued. Once deputies were able to access the phone, they discovered a conversation between killers in the moments leading up to the death of Andrew Howard IV.
The newly revealed conversation between Ellis Clark and Nicholas Wells detailed how they set up and killed Wells’ half-brother in December of 2020.
At 8:17 p.m. the night the victim was shot Wells sent Clark a text stating he was currently with Howard.
WELLS:
– “hurry up and meet me I’m with him ion got my tool”
– “hurry up one time hit”
CLARK:
– responds “ight”
WELLS:
– sends address 8900-block of N. 9th Ave.
CLARK:
– responds “ight”
– tells Wells he has to get gas and it will be 15 minutes
WELLS:
– “can’t be 15 that’s too long”
– “meet me at his house”
CLARK:
-“otw now, leaving Lincoln park”
WELLS:
– responds “you have to follow him the black Honda”
– “hurry up man this shit like got to happen”
CLARK:
– keeps updating Wells of his location as he is driving towards Wells’ house
WELLS:
– tells Clark that “he fina drop me off at my house”
CLARK:
– delay and Wells says he can’t and continues to tell him to hurry
WELLS:
– tells Clark to “pull up to them Northwoods apt. that I gave u the address”
CLARK:
– “ight”
WELLS:
– “that’s where he gone pull up to get out and go cause he try to act hard but he green he gone give, its a black Honda, it got like a dent on the side by u need to hurry up tho I’m almost done.”
CLARK:
– responds “by myself”
WELLS:
– “yea”
– “wya”
CLARK:
– “Creighton”
WELLS:
– “pull up so u can see the car follow him. No just pull up to the apartments”
CLARK:
– “ight”
WELLS”
– “you see em pullin”
– “he dropping me off ima call u have me otp”
CLARK:
– “he’s at 9th”
WELLS:
-“that squirrel dead”
CLARK:
– responds “damn”
It is clear from the texts that Wells and Clark planned and set up the actions that led to Howard’s death.
Wells provides vehicle descriptions, locations, and timing for Clark’s takedown of Howard.
Both Wells and Clark were served with arrest warrants while sitting in the Escambia County Jail awaiting trial for an earlier murder.
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