‘I just don’t want to die’ said Miles Young pleading for his life after realizing he had been lured by another teen into a deadly ambush

Young, 15, was gunned down March 12 in Greene County, Missouri, after he was lured into a trap believing he was meeting with a girl before being confronted by his attackers

After a two-week manhunt, cops arrested suspect Yefry Archaga, 18, the alleged mastermind of the the deadly scheme

Charged with first-degree murder, Archaga, an illegal migrant is being held on an immigration detainer by Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE)

Another suspect, Praize King, 18, also faces first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges, while at least one other suspect, a juvenile, is yet to be identified

Witnesses told investigators Young was ‘set up’ because Archaga ‘did not like him,’ he blamed Young for a 2025 homicide, where the 15-year-old was a witness set to testify at trial

Archaga catfished and lured Young to the location in the belief he was there to meet with a girl

Miles Young, [photo], 15, reportedly, a witness in a homicide trial was gunned down March 12 in Greene County, Missouri, in what prosecutors say was a premeditated deadly ambush

‘I just don’t want to die.’
Witnesses described recount the last words of an anguished assassination victim, in his was last moments pleading with his attackers to spare his life.
15-year-old Miles Young was gunned down March 12 in Greene County, Missouri, after he’d catfished and lured to the kill spot believing he was there to meet with a girl, only to be confronted by an armed group put together by an an older teen who happened to be an illegal migrant.
Young’s last words was his plea for his life after realizing he had been lured into a deadly ambush.
Following a two-week manhunt for his killers, authorities arrested the prime suspect Yefry Archaga, 18, who according to prosecutors was the mastermind behind the hit. 
Witnesses told investigators Young was ‘set up’ because Archaga ‘did not like him,’ as he blamed Young for a 2025 homicide, where the 15-year-old was a witness and was set to testify at trial
Archaga has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held on an immigration detainer by Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE). 

Yefry Archaga, [photo], an 18-year-old illegal migrant, allegedly planned and led the killing. He has been charged with first-degree murder. Following his arrest, he was held on an immigration detainer by ICE

The set up involved multiple individuals. A second suspect, Praize King, 18, also faces first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges in the killing of Young.
Prosecutors say Archaga made Young believe he was meeting up with a girl, while he and a group were tracking his location and setting him up. 
According to the probable cause statement, a juvenile suspect arrived at a residence in Springfield to meet up with Young on March 12.
However, prior to meeting with Young the juvenile allegedly met up with Archaga, two juvenile witnesses, and a suspect. The group drove around Springfield, discussing “setting up” Young, later arriving at an apartment to retrieve a second vehicle, described as a black Mercedes.
Archaga sat in the second vehicle as the suspect drove him and the two witnesses, as the juvenile suspect driving the Mercedes was tasked with picking Young.
When the designated driver arrived at the residence, Young who was there with another juvenile, was speaking on the phone with a second juvenile witness.
The two witnesses reportedly told Young not to go with the juvenile suspect, thinking it was a “set up,” due to the driver suspect not liking Young who he blamed for a 2025 homicide.
A motion to seal the case file court document, explains that Young was a witness in the 2025 murder and he was supposed to testify in the trial.
Still Young left with the Mercedes driver and the pair drove toward West Maplewood Street, while the others in the second vehicle using Archaga’s phone tracked their location.

A second suspect, Praize King, [photo], 18, also faces first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges

Getting to the spot where the Mercedes had stopped, the vehicle conveying the group blocked the road, while young realizing it was an ambush jumped out the stalled car, fleeing on foot.. 
Archaga chased him wearing a black ski mask and armed with a ‘Glock-style’ handgun, a witness recounts. 
‘Defendant ambushed victim, chased victim on foot, and shot victim as victim was reportedly pleading stating he wanted to live.’
Another witness told investigators they heard the 15-year-old’s final plea: ‘I just don’t wanna die.’
They said his final cry was followed by the sound of gunshots. Young was shot in the chest, and later pronounced dead at Cox South Hospital.

A witness heard Young’s final plea of ‘I just don’t wanna die,’ which was followed by the sound of gunshots. Hit in the chest and killed. Prosecutors said the suspects blamed Young for a 2025 homicide. He was a witness to the crime, was set to testify at trial

The witness who was with Young before the incident located his phone through GPS and found him lying on the ground with a substantial amount of blood on him.
Greene County deputies and EMS arrived on the scene and attempted life-saving measures before transporting him to Cox South Hospital. Young was later pronounced dead at the hospital from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
After allegedly shooting Young, Archaga ‘made a phone call’ to someone about the incident to brag about the murder, police said in a probably cause affidavit. 

‘He was a big brother, a son, a grandson, and a friend. He had a beautiful heart, was full of life, and always showed care for others,’ Young’s family wrote on a GoFundMe post

Two witnesses reportedly told investigators they believed Young was ‘set up’ because the suspect ‘did not like him,’ Ozarksfirst reported.
They said the suspect blamed Young for a 2025 homicide, where the 15-year-old was a witness set to testify at trial, per court documents. 
Archaga allegedly fled after the shooting and was arrested March 31 after a two‑week search. He is set to appear in court April 13. 
At least one other suspect, thought to be a juvenile, has yet to be identified.