The suspect accused of gunning down two men at a funeral repass in Brighton messaged one of the victims that he was going to kill him, according to testimony by a Jefferson County detective.

James David Abercrombie III, a 27-year-old Fairfield man who just got out of prison in October, is charged with capital murder in the shooting deaths of D’Angleo Le’Marcus Samuel, also known as rapper Landlord Lo, and 38-year-old Roderick Hall, who was Abercrombie’s uncle.

Abercrombie went before Bessemer Cutoff Circuit Judge Thomas Thrash Monday for a preliminary hearing and on a bond revocation motion.

Abercrombie was previously convicted of robbery. He was released from prison just over a month before the double homicide and was on probation.

Prosecutors, during the hours-long hearing, detailed the evidence against Abercrombie, which included video of the deadly shooting in which Abercrombie was reportedly wearing distinctive clothing – pants that had on them an image of Jack Skellington, who was the protagonist in the 1993 film “The Nightmare before Christmas.”

Additionally, prosecutors said, they had retrieved messages sent from Abercrombie to Samuel threatening to kill him the next time he saw him.

They also noted that Abercrombie had been charged with shooting Samuel in October.

Defense attorneys, however, argued that there was no solid evidence against Abercrombie.

Anybody could have sent those messages, they said, and noted that no witnesses or biological evidence put Abercrombie at the Brighton Community Center that day.

When the hearing ended, Thrash ruled there was enough probable cause to send the case to a grand jury for indictment consideration.

The judge also allowed prosecutors to swab Abercrombie for a DNA sample, but he withheld ruling on revoking Abercrombie’s probation.

Bessemer Cutoff Assistant District Attorneys Leanna Huddleston and Adrienne Belcher are prosecuting the case.

Abercrombie is represented by attorneys Eric Hamilton and Yusuf Olufemi.

The deadly shooting happened Friday, Dec. 13, following the funeral for Samuel’s uncle, 62-year-old Fredrick Lee Samuel.

Authorities were called to the Brighton Community Center, at 3810 7th Ave., shortly before 2:30 p.m.

Samuel, Hall, and Hall’s brother were standing just outside the front door when the shooting happened.

Samuel and Hall were pronounced dead under the awning at the community center’s entrance. Hall’s brother was not injured.

Video of killing was shared on social media and showed the suspect shooting the victims from just feet away before running the community center parking lot, still armed with the rifle, according to testimony.

Jefferson County sheriff’s Det. Ivette Medina was the only witness in Monday’s hearing.

She testified Samuel, Hall, and Hall’s brother were standing outside of the community center talking.

Witnesses said they saw a Jeep Wrangler circling the community center during the repass, and then three masked men exited the Jeep and started shooting. The driver stayed in the Jeep.

Video, Medina said, confirmed the witness accounts.

The footage showed Samuel and Hall drop to the ground, where both were pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Neither were armed.

Four vehicles were also damaged by the gunfire.

The shooter closest to the victims, the detective said, was Abercrombie. He was wearing a black mask, a dark sweater, black and white tennis shoes and the distinctive Jack Skellington pants.

Investigators were able to pick up the Jeep on Flock cameras and ultimately tracked ownership to Bryanna Turner, who was Abercrombie’s girlfriend. The Jeep was found burned in Childersburg, but they were able to find the VIN, which led them to Turner.

Medina said they interviewed Turner twice, and she was not cooperated with investigators. In the third interview, she said Abercrombie was driving her Jeep on the day of the shooting.

Turner is charged with hindering prosecution.

Medina said Verizon records placed Abercrombie’s phone in the area of the community center at the time of the shooting.

A search warrant of the apartment where Turner lived turned up Abercrombie’s wallet, black and white tennis shoes and a receipt from Target. A black mask was found in a garbage bag in the apartment.

Investigators obtained video footage from Target that showed Abercrombie wearing the same distinctive pants that he was wearing on the day of the shooting.

Medina testified that they found threatening Facebook messages from Abercrombie to Samuel on Abercrombie’s phone. In those messages, Medina said, Abercrombie said he was going to kill Samuel the next time he saw him.

There was not testimony about a possible motive. Abercrombie and Samuel had been friends at one point.

Abercrombie had been charged with attempted murder for shooting Samuel in October, but that charge was dismissed following Samuel’s death.

Testimony showed that Hall was Abercrombie’s uncle. Hall was not believed to be targeted, but just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Medina testified that Abercrombie was taken into custody when he was pulled over by Harpersville police on an outstanding drug trafficking warrant. At that time, he was driving a blue Nissan Rogue, the same vehicle used in the shooting of Samuel in October, Medina said.

Huddleston told the judge there was sufficient information to show there was probable cause to send the cases against Abercrombie to a grand jury.

“The defendant had tried to kill (Samuel) a month and a half before this. He was charged with attempted murder, and the cases were dropped only because the victim was in fact now dead, again at the hands of James Abercrombie,” Huddleston said.

“There are many indicators that Mr. James Abercrombie, the person charged, is the person that in fact killed DeAngelo Samuel,’’ Huddleston said.

Hamilton, however, disagreed.

He attacked the credibility of Abercrombie’s girlfriend.

“After lying to the police at least twice…when she’s in custody, she then alleges Mr. Abercrombie was the driver of the vehicle,’’ he said. “She has ample motive to lie.”

“The detective can’t tell you who the shooter is,’’ Hamilton said. “The only thing she can tell you is they have on black and white shoes and some pants with the Nightmare before Christmas. Surely, she does not contend those are the only pants that are made.”

“They have no DNA to put him on the scene. They don’t describe any characteristics that would say that Mr. Abercrombie is the shooter,’’ Hamilton said. “What we have, judge, is a hunch. We have circumstantial evidence.”

The defense attorney also said there’s no proof that Abercrombie actually created the Facebook account that sent the alleged threats to Samuel.

“They want the court to make that leap,’’ Hamilton said.

And, he said, there was no footprint cast to try to match to Abercrombie’s shoes on the day of the shooting.

Huddleston replied, “It’s cement. They’re walking on cement. How do you get a footprint from cement?”

“He’s just throwing things out there trying to make this sound like a hunch,’’ Huddleston said. “He failed to address the attempted murder and threats. Those are huge indicators when you tried to kill somebody and failed and then go back a month and half later.”

No one else has yet been charged in the crime, and no weapons have been recovered.

Samuel performed under the name Landlord Lo. In 2020, the rapper teamed up with Pooh Shiesty in the “Chance” video that garnered more than 1.7 million views.

Samuel was 18 when he was arrested and charged with murder for the shooting death of 23-year-old reputed drug dealer Kevin Hatter. The shooting happened in the 1200 block of 47th Street in Brighton about 6 p.m. on April 8, 2015.

Hatter had faced drug and attempted murder charges before his death.

Samuel’s attorney at the time claimed self-defense, and a jury in 2018 acquitted Samuel of the murder charge.

Another suspect in Hatter’s slaying had his case dismissed that same year.

Samuel was also indicted earlier this year on charges of attempted murder and discharging a firearm into occupied vehicle in connection with the 2020 shooting of a woman.

Those cases were dismissed after the victim recanted.

Two months prior to being killed, Samuel was interviewed by The Family TV on YouTube titled Beats & Bullets: The Alabama Rapper Who Lived to Tell His Story, in which he talked about his music, past criminal charges, and other Birmingham area homicides.