WASHINGTON - Antonio Jones, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 19 years in prison for killing a man who he encountered at a birthday party in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Jones pled guilty in April 2013 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of second-degree murder while armed. The plea, which called for a sentence of 16 to 19 years of incarceration, was contingent upon the approval of the Honorable Herbert B. Dixon Jr., who accepted it and sentenced the defendant today. Upon completion of his prison term, Jones will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on the night of Oct. 15, 2011, Jones encountered the victim, Davon Gray, 21, at a birthday party in the 2500 block of High Street SE. During the party, Jones socialized with Mr. Gray. However, outside of Mr. Gray’s presence, Jones stated that he had a problem with him. The two men, and others, remained outside even after people went indoors to sing happy birthday. Then, when Mr. Gray was about to leave, Jones stood a few feet across from him in a small group of people in the sidewalk area.
Jones then fired a semi-automatic pistol at Mr. Gray. Mr. Gray held his hands and forearms up in front of his face, turned and ran. Jones continued shooting at Mr. Gray’s back until he slowed and dropped to the ground. Jones than fled the scene on foot. An autopsy determined that Mr. Gray suffered a total of eight gunshot wounds to the body.
Mr. Gray did not have a weapon and had not threatened, assaulted, or otherwise provided Jones in any manner before the shooting. The government’s investigation showed no animosity on the part of Mr. Gray toward Jones. Jones was arrested on Oct. 21, 2011.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of detectives, officers and crime scene technicians who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Marian Russell and Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Miller, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
