Washington, D.C. – A 25-year-old Northeast District of Columbia man, Antonio W. Stokes, has been sentenced to 207 months (17 years & 3 months) following an earlier plea of guilty in connection with his role in the fatal shooting of Harold Taylor and the wounding of another individual during a robbery attempt of participants of a dice game in August 2006, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor announced today.

The Honorable Erik P. Christian of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia sentenced Stokes earlier today. Upon being arrested on October 2, 2006, Stokes admitted his guilt immediately and entered his plea of guilty on November 1, 2006, to Conspiracy, Armed Robbery and Second Degree Murder while Armed. Stokes’ older cousin, O’Neal Armstrong, 28, of Southeast Washington, D.C., is a codefendant in Harold’s Taylor’s murder and pled guilty on February 29, 2008. He is to be sentenced on September 5, 2008.

According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of August 5, 2006, Armstrong and Stokes entered 2339 Pitts Place, SE (PSA 701), brandishing fully-loaded 9mm pistols in order to rob a group of individuals engaged in a dice game. When Harold Taylor attempted to run, both Armstrong and Stokes shot at his back, striking him once and killing him. Armstrong then robbed a second man and shot him once in the leg. The second individual was fortunate to survive the attack. The cousins came away from the attack with approximately $700.00.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Taylor commended the work of Metropolitan Police Department Detectives Robert Arrington and Dwayne Partman, Mobile Crime Technicians Gerald Wills and Tony Nwani, Firearms Examiner Rosolyn Brown and Deputy Medical Examiner Sarah Colvin. Mr. Taylor also recognized the efforts of the Victim/Witness Security Advocates Debra Cannon, Laverne Forrest and Tonya Via, Paralegal Marian Russell, Legal Assistant Dee Dee Young, and the entire Litigation Support Staff, particularly, Joseph Calvarese and Kimberly Smith, for a strong team effort. Lastly, Mr. Taylor thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney John G. Giovannelli, who investigated, indicted and prosecuted the case.