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Police were dispatched to a 911 call concerning an incident near the renowned Blue Flame Lounge in downtown Atlanta on April 24, 2016, just before midnight.
Upon arrival, officers discovered two men with multiple gunshot wounds. Reginald “Reggie” Coicou, 24, was found dead inside a bullet-riddled Pontiac Bonneville. His companion, Quincy Wytche, 22, located in the parking lot, succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital.
“It was apparent that there have been multiple gunshots fired,” said Scott Berhalter, a homicide detective with the Atlanta Police Department.
“It certainly appears that those were fired from inside of the car outward,” noted Berhalter in the “Caught in the Crossfire” episode of The Real Murders of Atlanta, which broadcasts on Saturdays at 8/7c p.m. on Oxygen.
A .45-caliber automatic Colt pistol, found on Coicou’s lap along with .40-caliber casings, were collected at the scene.
A flip-flop sandal was also taken into evidence. A witness told investigators that he had seen “a Black male running away… but missing a flip-flop,” said Titus Nichols, who at the time was a Special Assistant District Attorney in Oglethorpe County.
Who were Reginald “Reggie” Coicou and Quincy Wytche?
Police learned that Coicou was dedicated to bodybuilding. “He was full of life. He was a good person,” said Atlanta resident Aaron King Culver. He also loved to read and had set professional goals for himself.
“He was hoping to become a personal trainer,” said his friend Antoine Sterling. In the meantime, he worked as a bouncer and covered parking lot security at the Blue Flame Lounge.
Wytche was one of Coicou’s friends. “They often hung out together,” said Linda Looney, a former news anchor for WVEE radio station. “Quincy was a regular at the club, and by all accounts, was considered a good guy.”
He had a clean record.
“Investigators learned that Reggie had a permit to carry a gun, a .45 caliber,” Looney said. “He had a history of always having it with him, given the fact that he worked at the club.”
Detectives discovered that the club’s bouncers and parking lot attendants were tipped very well. “Reggie had a reputation of carrying a large amount of cash, so now we’re kind of leaning towards robbery,” said Brett Zimbrick, a former homicide detective with the Atlanta Police Department.
Detectives seek clues from security video
Investigators caught an early break thanks to security camera footage from a nearby business. It showed the Pontiac Bonneville backing into a parking space and an unidentified black car — later determined to be a Pontiac G8 — pulling in and parking alongside it, Berhalter said.
The video confirmed that the shots were fired from inside the Bonneville. “You can also see the individual in the driver’s seat exit the vehicle, flee, and lose a flip-flop,” said Zimbrick.
“Shortly thereafter,” he added, “the rear passenger door on the driver’s side opens, and the individual staggers out of the vehicle and collapses.”
Investigators knew that someone drove the black G8. But they didn’t know if that person got out of the car and got into the Bonneville because the video was obscured, said Looney.
Man who lost a sandal is found
Hours later, the man who fled wearing one sandal was picked up by police. He was identified as 28-year-old Carlton Redding. “Police learned that he has a pretty significant criminal record,” Nichols said.
Redding had no weapon on him. But detectives were confident that he was the man fleeing the crime scene caught in the surveillance video.
“Carlton Redding told me that he’d received a phone call from Reginald asking for a ride to go buy some marijuana from someone,” Berhalter said.
“Reggie tells Carlton that he has a friend, Quincy, who is going to find somebody to provide marijuana,” Zimbrick said.
“So, Reggie needs Carlton to drive him to a location to meet with Quincy and this other individual,” Zimbrick added. “The fourth person, described by Carlton as heavyset, shorter, with twists in his hair, was unnamed.”
Redding told detectives he borrowed his girlfriend’s Bonneville, picked up Coicou, and then drove to the rendezvous spot, near the Blue Flame.
Redding claimed that just seconds after the other two men got into the Bonneville, the heavyset unidentified mystery man pulled out a gun and demanded money.
“Once the gun is put to Reggie’s head, Reggie has his gun, or attempts to make a move to his gun,” Zimbrick said. “And then, according to Carlton, bullets just start flying inside the car.”
Redding said that that’s when he fled the car. Detectives got a copy of the security video from the gas station to corroborate Redding’s story.
“Lo and behold, Carlton’s story adds up,” Zimbrick said. “Once you get the video surveillance, you realize that the fourth person does exist, and that the fourth person is actually going to probably be responsible for these two deaths.”
Detectives seek to identify the shooter
Quincy’s girlfriend told detectives that they were at home when he received a call about someone wanting to buy marijuana. “She said Quincy made a couple of phone calls and was able to get something set up,” Nichols said.
She identified the other man as Nick. When shown the security video, she identified Nick as the fourth man at the crime scene.
She also shared Wytche’s cellphone password, enabling detectives to access his call history and contacts. One contact was listed as Big Nick, who detectives identified as then 25-year-old Nicholas Benton.
Police confirmed that Benton was the fourth man in the video through DMV records. They also found that he had no criminal record. Seventeen days into the case, they interviewed Benton.
He told them that Wytche and he were friends but denied any involvement in the crime. “The police reviewed the cell phone records,” Nichols said. “They find that between Reggie, Nick and Quincy, there’s 27 phone calls that took place the night of the shooting.”
Shocking detail about one victim comes to light
Benton’s phone history placed him at the crime scene. “We also saw a text message from Quincy to Big Nick before the 911 call came in and the text message read ‘one strap,’’ said Berhalter, adding that that was street slang for a single gun.
“That text message showed that Quincy wasn’t just the victim but also was a part of the shooting as well,” Nichols said.
Detectives theorized that Wytche knew that Coicou had money on him and enlisted Benton to help him steal from his good friend. But when the two men got into Coicou‘s car, the robbery went terribly wrong.
“I think that out of fear, Nicholas Benton just started shooting wildly,” Berhalter said. “Then Nicholas ran out of the vehicle and drove away.”
Ballistics confirmed that both Coicou and Wytche were killed by a .40-caliber gun, not Coicou’s .45-caliber gun. Investigators believe that the pistol recovered from Coicou’s lap was his own, and that he had attempted to use it in self-defense.
Nicholas Benton arrested and tried
On June 6, 2016, Nicholas Benton was arrested for the murders of Coicou and Wytche as well as on other charges. He again denied any wrongdoing. His trial began more than a year later.
On July 14, 2017, Benton was convicted of murder, felony murder, attempted armed robbery, and several other charges. He was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.
To learn more about the case, watch the “Caught in the Crossfire” episode of The Real Murders of Atlanta. The show airs new episodes on Saturdays at 8/7c p.m. on Oxygen.
