Suspect in Chandler officer's killing had been freed by judge

PHOENIX - John Webber and his longtime friend and co-defendant, Thandika Singleton, often made appearances together in rap videos and photos on social networking sites.

In them, they flaunt their luxury and make clear they are well connected in celebrity circles.

But Webber wasn’t always living the high life and now he and Singleton are charged with first degree murder for the deadly shootout that left one Chandler police officer dead and two others wounded.

A few years ago, he served some of his sentence for a marijuana smuggling operation in Kentucky. A judge granted his request to transfer his parole to Arizona, where he immediately became involved in a sophisticated mortgage fraud and money laundering operation to the tune of $9 million, scamming 15 victims out of their money, according to court documents.

While some of the defendants involved in “Operation Stolen Dreams,” as the national mortgage fraud bust became known, are serving lengthy sentences, in March the United States Attorney’s Office wrote a memorandum to a judge recommending a plea deal in Webber’s favor.

Because Webber gave investigators information that was later used against his co-defendants, US Assistant Attorney Kevin Rapp recommended the judge defer his sentence for two years. The memorandum proposes that if Webber is compliant during those two years, the charges be dismissed altogether.

The judge granted the request, which put Webber out on the streets and placed him at the house where the undercover drug deal turned deadly earlier this week.

In the memo, Rapp acknowledges Webber already had a lengthy criminal history, and recommends he be supervised for those two years, in addition to being on parole.

It says, “Webber’s criminal history, characteristics and unstable employment does not inspire confidence that he will remain compliant while under supervision.”

Webber has been charged with three counts of first degree murder and four counts of aggravated assault, along with burglary and drug charges, a year before his supervision would have expired.