Court documents reveal that suspects involved in the alleged hit on a jail official, which sparked the police corruption and organized crime investigation dubbed Project South, coordinated the plan using aliases on an encrypted messaging platform. Prior to the purported attempted murder, the suspects utilized the Signal app to exchange personal details and images of the target, a senior corrections officer at Toronto South Detention Centre, whose identity is shielded by a publication ban. This information is disclosed in a factum submitted by Crown prosecutors in Ontario Superior Court last month, outlining how seized cellphones uncovered conversations implicating an alleged gun-for-hire network in the planned attack.
The Project South probe commenced in June 2025 after York Regional Police intervened in the supposed hit, leading to a collision between the suspect vehicle and a police car stationed outside the jail official’s residence. Initially, nearly 30 individuals, including seven Toronto police officers and one retired constable, faced charges in connection with Project South. One officer, now retired, pleaded guilty recently, while one civilian’s charge was dropped.
Four days before the disrupted murder attempt, Dequon Lemonious, identified as “Danny Phantom” in the court records, allegedly communicated with Median Jackson, also known as “Lebron James,” about scouting a location to confirm the presence of a vehicle. Lemonious shared a photo of the jail official’s address and vehicle, reportedly obtained from an unauthorized search of the Ministry of Transportation’s secure database, believed to be carried out by a Toronto police officer.
The factum details Lemonious instructing Jackson to engage a “hit squad” if the vehicle was present. Apart from plotting the hit on the jail official, the two individuals purportedly discussed additional criminal activities. Lemonious allegedly supplied information to Jackson, who subcontracted tasks to others for monetary gain. The court document mentions discussions about recruiting accomplices, determining job rates, and dividing the earnings.
Furthermore, Signal messages recovered from the cellphone of another suspect, Devonte Barker-Campbell, using the alias “Dwayne Casey,” revealed efforts to solicit the murder of the jail guard shortly before the planned attack was thwarted. Barker-Campbell allegedly shared details with a user named “Thunder,” including the official’s headshot, address map, and vehicle photo sourced from the same MTO search. After Thunder declined, Barker-Campbell proposed the same task to another individual, identified as “Reality” on Signal.
Reality expressed readiness to proceed with the plan, indicating preparedness and seeking confirmation for the operation. Subsequently, Reality and Barker-Campbell arranged for a team to visit the jail official’s residence. During this period, the individuals encountered issues with their vehicle, as described in the factum, which align with events leading to the interception by police at the official’s home.
Inside the intercepted vehicle, law enforcement found Almar Heath, two unidentified youths, a loaded handgun, protective gear, and Heath’s phone containing GPS directions to the corrections officer’s residence. Heath, Jackson, Lemonious, Barker-Campbell, and the two youths face charges of conspiracy to murder the jail official. Legal representatives for Heath and Barker-Campbell declined to comment, while Jackson’s counsel did not respond to requests for statements. Lemonious currently lacks legal representation. Additionally, York police discovered that Toronto police Const. Timothy Barnhardt allegedly conducted the illegal database search related to the jail official.
The factum also refers to an incident where a masked individual confronted the jail official’s grandfather with a firearm at his residence, prompting a subsequent police operation leading to arrests. The court filing alleges video evidence implicating Jackson and Lemonious in a separate shooting incident at a restaurant, involving the blue Acura, which encountered technical issues. This led to the use of an alternative vehicle in the restaurant shooting.
The allegations outlined in the court documents remain unproven in court proceedings, emphasizing the ongoing nature of the legal process surrounding Project South.