- "Arturo Rey is dead. He was found in his furniture store a few minutes ago. Bullet to head."
- ―Tom Ridenhour[src]
The Murder of Arturo Rey III was the result of an attempt by Shades and Comanche to get the money that Mariah Dillard made a deal with Arturo Rey III.
Background[]
- "Arturo Rey III is all yours. His car's parked outside. El Tercero, my ass. This is a part of a Judas Bullet and a Judas gun. That's automatic federal time, right?"
"Hell, yeah."
"Might be enough to get Arturo to talk." - ―Luke Cage and Misty Knight[src]
Arturo Rey III confronts Luke Cage
When Mariah Dillard made a decision to sell her weapons business and become a legitimate businesswoman, she gathered Arturo Rey III, Nigel Garrison, and Cockroach Hamilton as potential buyers. Rey III claimed that with Dillard's guns, he will ensure the peace between Harlem and Washington Heights, which pleased Dillard more than Garrison's or Hamilton's offers. As Dillard and Rey III reached consensus in their negotiations, he requested the help of the Stokes Crime Family to handle Luke Cage who had been attacking Rey III's drug business. Dillard provided Rey III with the Hammer Industries Assault Rifle and the Judas Bullet upfront to commemorate their deal.
Arturo Rey III gets released from the NYPD custody
Using Sugar, Rey III lured Cage at the Greenpoint Terminal where he found the Merlin Discount Furniture truck, rigged with explosives. Cage survived the explosion, so Rey III attempted to shoot him with the Judas Bullet, but despite Dillard's claims, the bullet did not hurt Cage. He subdued Rey III and handed him over to the New York City Police Department, as the possession of the Judas Bullet was a federal felony.[3] Misty Knight attempted to convince Rey III to give up the Stokes Family as his buyers to avoid the imprisonment, however, Dillard sent Benjamin Donovan to bail Rey III out. Donovan objected that Rey III's arrest was not legitimate, since Cage was a vigilante, not a police officer, so Rey III was free to go, as he had been granted his bail.[4]
Murder[]
Arturo Rey III refusing to pay the Stokes
- "We had a deal. You said you got a judge."
"I'll give you your money, when I get off free and clear. Or I'll go back to that one-armed detective and tell her what I know. She's got a hard-on for that old bitch of yours." - ―Shades and Arturo Rey III[src]
Back at the Merlin Discount Furniture, Arturo Rey III was approached by Shades and Comanche who came to collect the payment for the gun business deal. However, Rey III refused to finish the deal, blaming the Stokes Crime Family for settling him up by providing him with defective Judas Bullet, but Shades argued that Mariah Dillard was the one who sent Benjamin Donovan and bailed him out. Regardless, Rey III insisted that he had no interest in further business with the Stokes Family, demanding to clear him out of all charges.
Shades shooting and killing Arturo Rey III
Shades was not pleased with Rey III's demands and in response, Rey III threatened to get back to Misty Knight and testify against Dillard. Rey III then proceeded to mock Shades and insult Dillard, which made Shades lost his temper and shoot Rey III in the head. Rey III's henchmen attempted to retaliate, however, Comanche quickly gunned them down before they could take out their guns. Comanche remarked that since Rey III was dead, the negotiations will end in null, but Shades only told him to erase the footage from security cameras and leave.[4]
Aftermath[]
- "I messed up. I admit it. But I couldn't let Arturo snitch, or do anything to bring you down. I'm gonna get our money to Piranha on time."
- ―Shades to Mariah Dillard[src]
Informed about the murder of Arturo Rey III, the New York City Police Department arrived at the Merlin Discount Furniture to investigate. Misty Knight was banned from the investigation since the case was handled by Nandi Tyler and Mark Bailey, although she was close to deducing who was the culprit. Discussing the situation with Luke Cage, they concluded that without Rey III, Mariah Dillard will try to continue negotiations with the remaining two parties. Cage proposed that Cockroach Hamilton might be the next one in the line for Dillard's gun business, so he started searching for him across Harlem.
Dillard was furious that Shades killed Rey III without collecting the money she was owed, but Shades defended his decision, claiming that Rey III could not be trusted and was going to give them up. Since Rey III was no longer an option, Shades suggested to negotiate with Nigel Garrison, although Dillard noted the Yardies did not have as much money as Rey III did. Regardless, Shades convinced her and arrived at Brooklyn to speak with Garrison, however, he found out that the Yardies were taken over by Bushmaster. Bushmaster agreed to complete the deal and handed the payment to Shades, giving him much more than was initially promised, however, Shades discovered Garrison's severed head in the bag.[4]