Photo: United States Department of Justice
Here's a primer for those who want it.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Jul 22, 2020
Once a low-key gang known only to those familiar with the subculture, the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods have come back into the public eye thanks to the testimony of Tekashi 6ix9ine. However, few — if any — really know the history and the organization of this gang and its leader (even though there's no shortage of wannabe gangstas on the Internet who swear that they're affiliated).
So who is the leader of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, a man who goes solely by the name Murdock?
Sometimes known as the Bentleys or the Billionaires, the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods are a subset of the United Blood Nation street gang, which in itself, is a subset of the Bloods. (So they're a subset of a subset, in case anyone is concerned about gang hierarchy.)
Based mostly on the East Coast of the United States (the Bloods are typically known as a West Coast gang), the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods got its start in 1993 at the Rikers Island jail in New York City (not that it's here or there, but there's currently moves being made to shut down the jail for a number of reasons). Ron Chepesiuk's groundbreaking book, Gangsters of Harlem, revealed that the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods moved from the jails to the abandoned buildings of New York City's Harlem district (this was, of course, prior to gentrification) and, initially, only sold drugs.
However, what made them notable — and despicable — was that they not only sold community-destroying drugs (crack, PCP, heroin), they used the disadvantaged (such as the homeless, prostitutes, and even children) as their mules.
Today, the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods are known for sex trafficking and counterfeit money printing.
Let's look at what we know about its leader, a man only known as Murdock.
1. Tekashi 6ix9ine didn't testify against the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods leader.
Perhaps aware of the ramifications of high-level snitching, The New York Daily News reports that Tekashi 6ix9ine didn't testify against the leader of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. Instead, he testified against Anthony “Harv” Ellison and Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack, two members of the gang who were former friends of his, and who appeared in the video for "Gummo."
Nuke was sentenced on February 24, 2020, by the Attorney for the Southern District of New York to 204 months or 17 years in prison for the distribution of narcotics (heroin and fentanyl). This came after he was convicted in his three-week trial.
He was also sentenced to 5 years of supervised release once he completes his time in jail.
2. Murdock, a/k/a Antonio Simmons, was based in Norfolk, VA.
Southside Daily reports that Murdock, the leader of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, first came on the radar in 2015 after a "spate of extreme violence that ended with five people dead and four others shot during seven separate shootings that crossed nearly every city in South Hampton Roads." The worst part is all of his victims were completely unaffiliated with the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, but he believed that they were somehow "conspiring" against the gang.
3. Even after all the violence and bloodshed, he threatened to kill a witness who testified against him.
The Virginian Pilot reports that when Murdock stood trial for the 2015 massacre, he threatened to kill one witness for the government who ultimately testified against him. He also tried to influence the testimony of another witness for the government, as well.
4. Murdock, along with two others, tried to kill as many people as they could as part of a gang ritual.
"One of these cruel and worthless gangsters, Nathaniel Mitchell, murdered a woman who just got off from her job in a coffee shop, while he was in competition with other gang members to kill the most people during the 2015 Christmas holiday season because she was “walking on the wrong side of the street”, according to prosecutors," reported The Chesapeake Daily, while adding that Murdock and one other co-defendant in the Federal murder trial also participated in this ritual.
5. The Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods also recently looped in corrupt NYPD sergeants to carry out their crimes.
In a separate report for The New York Daily News, it was confirmed that the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods don't just kill innocent bystanders and threaten government witnesses. Rather, they even go so far as to loop in corrupt NYPD sergeants to help them distribute drugs. In fact, one such sergeant — Alicia Robinson — has currently been hit with charges relating to her role in the crime.
6. Murdock is currently serving a life sentence.
"Antonio Simmons, a/k/a Murdock, was sentenced today to three consecutive life terms plus an additional 40 years in prison for his leadership role in a racketeering conspiracy, multiple murders, multiple attempted murders, and various drug and gun crimes, all as part of his leadership of the Nine Trey Gangsters Bloods gang," reads an official statement from the US Department of Justice. He has connections to Mel Murda and Ro Murda, who were also sentenced.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally posted on November 11, 2019 and was updated with the latest information.