Two Men Charged in Deonte Stokes Homicide in Racine

Originally published by Racine County Eye.

Overview:

Deangelo V. Herron, 41, of Kenosha, and Lamar Payne Jr., 38, are charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the July 25, 2026, shooting death of Deonte Stokes, 39, in the 2700 block of Wright Avenue in Racine. According to the criminal complaint, Payne fired the shot while Herron kept Stokes talking. U.S. Marshals arrested Herron in Dallas and Payne in Dubuque, Iowa, on Oct. 28. Investigators tracked the getaway SUV with Flock and other license plate cameras.

RACINE, Wis. — Both men accused in the July 25 killing of Deonte Stokes on Racine’s Wright Avenue are each being held on a $1 million cash bond and are due in court Nov. 18, after U.S. Marshals arrested one in Texas and the other in Iowa.

Deangelo V. Herron, 41, of Kenosha, made his first court appearance by video Wednesday, Nov. 11, where Court Commissioner Sally Hoelzel found probable cause and set the bond, court records show. Lamar Payne Jr., 38, of Chicago, received the same bond Nov. 5.

According to the criminal complaint against Herron, Payne fired the single shot that killed Stokes while Herron kept him talking beside his car.

Stokes, 39, of Racine, was found shot in the head in the 2700 block of Wright Avenue shortly after midnight. Police said at the time that the shooting appeared to be isolated. Racine police identified Stokes and announced both arrests in an Oct. 29 update.

What this means for Racine County residents

When this shooting happened, no one had been arrested and police offered few details. The charges now lay out what prosecutors say was a planned killing over a money dispute, not a random one.

The complaint also details what the region’s camera network did in one homicide investigation. According to the complaint, investigators could not identify the SUV used in the shooting until they followed it through private surveillance video and city cameras to a Flock camera at Highway 31 and Highway KR, which captured its plate. From there, they traced its route before and after the shooting using Flock cameras, other automated license plate readers, Racine’s Milestone city cameras, tollway cameras, and Chicago city cameras. The complaint does not say who owns the Flock cameras it relied on.

That matters here because the Racine Common Council voted Sept. 15 to end the city’s Flock camera contract.

Key facts: Deonte Stokes homicide

Victim: Deonte Stokes, 39, of Racine.
Charges: Each man is charged with one count of first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime, with use of a dangerous weapon, according to court records. It is a Class A felony that carries a mandatory life sentence.
Deangelo V. Herron: 41, of Kenosha. Case 2026CF001310. Arrested Oct. 28 in Dallas, Texas. Returned to Racine County Nov. 11 on a $500,000 warrant. Cash bond was set at $1 million at his initial appearance that day. Attorney Jennifer Anne Bork appeared for him.
Lamar Payne Jr.: 38, of Chicago. Case 2026CF001311. Arrested Oct. 28 in Dubuque, Iowa. Returned to Racine County Nov. 5 on a $500,000 warrant. Cash bond was set at $1 million at his initial appearance that day. Attorney Philip Michael Klinker appeared for him.
Bond conditions: Both men are ordered to have no contact with Stokes’ family, home or property, no contact with each other, and no weapons, court records show.
Where and when: The 2700 block of Wright Avenue, Racine. The complaint says video shows Stokes was shot at about 11:54 p.m. Friday, July 24, about 20 minutes before anyone called 911.
Who made the arrests: The U.S. Marshals Task Force, working with local agencies, according to Racine police.
Next court dates: Both men have preliminary hearings at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the lower-level hearing room at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, before Court Commissioner Sally Hoelzel.
Judge: Both cases are assigned to Racine County Circuit Judge Jessica Lynott, Branch 3.
Prosecutor: Attorney Antoinette L. Rich is prosecuting both cases for the state.

What happened at the first court appearances

Both men appeared by video while in custody, court records show. In each case, the reading of the complaint was waived, Hoelzel found probable cause and the $500,000 arrest warrant was vacated once bond was set.

At Herron’s hearing Wednesday, members of Stokes’ family appeared by Zoom and addressed the court about bond, according to court records.

The cases were filed Oct. 27 and sealed that day at prosecutors’ request, then unsealed Oct. 28, the day both men were arrested, court records show.

What the complaint says led to the shooting

According to the complaint, the dispute started in April.

Investigators who downloaded Stokes’ phone found videos from an April birthday celebration at a bar. In them, Herron encourages Stokes to show off a large amount of cash and takes credit for giving him $10,000 for his birthday, the complaint says.

Text messages from later that month show Herron demanding the money back, according to the complaint. Stokes answered that Herron had given it to him and he was keeping it. Herron replied, “U playing a dangerous game,” and “I owe my ppls too,” the complaint says.

The complaint also says photos saved to Herron’s iCloud account in April included a screenshot of a Facebook video Stokes had posted showing the outside of a home, and a screenshot of a people-search website listing Stokes’ Racine address.

The two stopped communicating until July 24, when Stokes called Herron three times, according to phone records cited in the complaint.

How prosecutors say Payne was brought in

According to the complaint, Herron called Payne less than half an hour after Stokes’ first call that afternoon, then drove a 2015 GMC Terrain to Chicago. Chicago city cameras recorded the SUV parking near Payne’s home on North Laramie Avenue. When a man investigators believe was Payne got on a city bus without seeing the SUV, its driver got out, ran toward the bus, and then followed it until Payne got off and was picked up, the complaint says.

The two then drove back to Racine together, according to phone records and plate camera images cited in the complaint.

What prosecutors say video shows

A friend who had been driving around with Stokes that evening told police Stokes texted him just after 11 p.m. that he was about to meet “Stunt,” a street name police know Herron by. The friend said he had known Herron since middle school, saw part of the video afterward and believed Herron was in it.

According to the complaint, surveillance video shows the dark SUV parked on Thurston Avenue at about 11:22 p.m. Two masked men get out and walk toward Grange Avenue. Phone records indicate Herron then got into Stokes’ Audi, which video shows parking in the 2700 block of Wright Avenue at about 11:32 p.m., the complaint says.

The complaint describes what happened next: Herron and Stokes talk in front of the car, sometimes seriously and sometimes play-fighting. Herron appears to text on his phone and look toward Grange Avenue. As Payne walks toward them, Herron steps onto the curb, which turns Stokes’ back to the approaching man. Payne walks up behind Stokes and fires one shot into the back of his head. Both men run back to the SUV and drive away.

How investigators say they tracked the SUV and the phones

The SUV was captured on Flock cameras returning to Racine on the evening of July 24, the complaint says.
Herron’s main phone number was disconnected about three and a half hours after the shooting. Investigators say he was also using a second phone registered to other people.
After the shooting, the complaint says, the SUV left Racine and has not shown up on any Flock, plate reader or city camera in Racine since. Investigators found it in August on a street in Chicago, where they saw only Payne driving it.
An FBI special agent helped investigators analyze the phone data, the complaint says.

The complaint was filed Oct. 27, the day before both men were arrested.

What the charge means

First-degree intentional homicide means prosecutors must prove Stokes was killed by someone who intended to kill him. Because both men are charged as a party to a crime, prosecutors do not have to prove which one fired the gun, only that each intentionally helped commit the crime or was part of a plan to commit it. The charge carries a mandatory life sentence on conviction.

Herron’s record

The complaint lists convictions going back to 2003, mostly for drug possession and obstructing officers, along with a 2011 federal conviction for possessing a weapon as a felon. His most recent convictions, in 2023, were for misdemeanor possession of THC and misdemeanor battery.

What we know and what we don’t

We know both men are charged with first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime, both are in custody on $1 million cash bonds and both have lawyers. We know the complaint accuses Payne of firing the shot and Herron of setting up the meeting.

We don’t yet know how either man answers the allegations. Court records do not show a plea from either one, and the complaint includes no statement from Herron. We also don’t know who owns the Flock cameras the complaint relies on.

What happens next?

Both men are scheduled for preliminary hearings at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the lower-level hearing room at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, according to court records. At a preliminary hearing, the court decides whether there is enough evidence to move a felony case forward. Racine County Eye will follow both cases through their preliminary hearings.

The Racine Police Department asks anyone with information or video to call its Investigations Unit at 262-635-7756. People who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 262-636-9330 or submit a tip through the P3 Tips app.

Who was killed on Wright Avenue in Racine?

Racine police identified the man killed in the 2700 block of Wright Avenue on July 25, 2026, as Deonte Stokes, 39, of Racine.

Who is charged in Deonte Stokes’ death?

Deangelo V. Herron, 41, of Kenosha, and Lamar Payne Jr., 38, of Chicago, are both charged with first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime. They were arrested Oct. 28 by the U.S. Marshals Task Force, Herron in Dallas and Payne in Dubuque, Iowa.

When are Herron and Payne next in court?

Both men have preliminary hearings at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center. Each is held on a $1 million cash bond.

All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Two Men Charged in Deonte Stokes Homicide in Racine

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