An Augusta woman who fatally shot the man she had been involved with off and on for over a decade was convicted Tuesday of causing his death.
The Richmond County Superior Court jury returned its verdict after approximately two hours of deliberations, finding Lakeesha D. Stokes, 47, guilty of murder, voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
In Georgia, when a jury reaches two different verdicts for the same criminal conduct, in Stokes’ case killing someone, the defendant is sentenced to the lesser charge. In her case, it is voluntary manslaughter.
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On July 28, 2018, Stokes followed 62-year-old Larry White out of the Parkway Drive home where they lived and shot him as he tried to leave, according to media reports at the time.
Assistant District Attorney Jarryd Brown asked the judge to imposed the maximum possible sentence on Stokes. She clearly shot White in a fit of rage.
“Mr. White didn’t have to die,” Brown said.
“I would like to apologize to (White’s) family,” Stokes said Tuesday after the verdict was announced.
Judge John Flythe did sentence Stokes to the maximum for the manslaughter and firearm charges, 25 years in prison. Stokes will get credit for the time she has spent in jail pending trial.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
