The man accused of killing a wheelchair bound man on the streets of Harrisburg in 2018 pleaded guilty to reduced charges Monday, Jan. 31.
The trial for Elijah D. Tart, 19, was to have started Monday in Richmond County Superior Court, but attorneys announced they had worked out a plea if Chief Judge Daniel J. Craig would accept it.
Tart had pleaded not guilty to the June 26, 2018, slaying of Michael “Thumbs Up” Gentry, 60, at the intersection of Fenwick Street and Moore Avenue. Gentry, who was confined to a wheelchair, was known to most people who lived in or traveled through the Harrisburg community because he was often on the streets or sidewalks waiving and giving a thumbs-up to everyone he saw.
Gentry was shot in the back of the head, the barrel of the gun 3 feet or less from his head. He was shot a second time through the jaw.
Since he has been in custody, Tart was also charged with aggravated battery for an attack on a fellow jail inmate Sept. 27, 2020, and possession of contraband, a homemade knife commonly known as a shank, on Jan. 17.
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Assistant District Attorney Sarah Strickland told the judge Monday that the man who said he saw Tart shoot the victim and flee from the scene has credibility problems, and it was debatable if jurors would believe him. There is no physical evidence connecting Tart to the fatal shooting, she said.
The plea agreement was for Tart to plead to voluntary manslaughter and possession of firearm during the commission of a crime for a sentence of 10 years in prison followed by 10 years on probation for the voluntary manslaughter. With the time Tart has been incarcerated since his arrest, he would have been eligible for parole within a year or so.
Defense attorney Andrew Williams told the judge Tart hadn’t meant to shoot Gentry, that he was aiming at some other, threatening men in a car. He was only 16 at the time and panicked afterward and ran from the scene, Williams said.
The judge told the lawyers the facts of the case weren’t reflected in the plea negotiation. He suggested they negotiate further while considering that if a jury convicted Tart of murder, he could face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Craig accepted a new agreement for 20 years in prison followed by 25 years on probation for all three cases.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.Â
