Effects of Shooting Weigh Heavily on Children of Victim and Defendant

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The children of Latasha Gray and Anthony Thomas were present in the courtroom on June 14, as Gray was sentenced to nine years’ incarceration and five years of supervised release by DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo for fatally shooting Thomas.

Gray, 37, was originally charged with second-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm in an intrafamily offense for her involvement in the fatal shooting of Thomas, 40. The incident took place on Feb. 6, 2023, on the 4200 block of 7th Street, SE.

On Feb. 13, Gray accepted a deal that required her to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed in exchange for the dismissal of all other charges. The plea deal limited the sentencing range to seven-and-a-half to ten years in prison, plus five years of supervised release.

Arrest documents state that the shared children of Gray and Thomas were present in an apartment when the shooting occurred. A Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer who investigated the case identified the voices on the 911 call from that incident as the children’s.

According to court documents, the MPD officers who responded reported finding only the children with their dying father in the apartment. They testified that Gray returned to surrender herself to the police while they were still on the scene.

At the sentencing hearing, the prosecution requested a sentence of 10 years for Gray, disputing the defense’s argument that the shooting was accidental.

“She is not owning up and taking responsibility for it, and that’s necessary to move forward,” the prosecutor contended.

One reason the prosecutor cited for requesting the maximum sentence was Gray’s behavior toward her children just after the shooting.

“Instead of doing everything she can to render aid,” the prosecutor narrated the scene, “she leaves. She leaves her children there to deal with it.”

Joseph Yarbough, Gray’s attorney, requested the minimum sentence of seven-and-a-half years.

“She came back,” Yarbough pointed out. “Her greatest regret is picking up that gun. Her second greatest regret is leaving her children in that terrible situation.”

Yarbough argued, “She has taken full responsibility for shooting Mr. Thomas. The question is how it occurred.”

He attributed the gun’s firing to its lack of an external safety mechanism and having a hair-trigger.

Gray herself addressed the court, stating that she accepts full responsibility for Thomas’ death even though she didn’t intend to kill him. She apologized to Thomas’ children and grandchildren for depriving them of their father and grandfather.

To her children and her mother, Gray attested, “You have taught me the real meaning of unconditional love.”

Judge Demeo stated that Gray had taken responsibility for the incident to the extent that the charge of voluntary manslaughter requires, since that charge depends on negligence, not on intent to kill.

Even though the defense was calling the gun’s discharge accidental, the technical definition of an accidental discharge is one that occurs without human intervention, so, by admitting to touching the gun, Gray was admitting to a negligent discharge.

As part of Gray’s sentence, Judge Demeo ordered her to complete a mental health evaluation, a life skills course, and the General Education Diploma (GED). Both Yarbough and a representative from the Office of Rehabilitation and Development (ORD) testified to the progress Gray had already made in self-improvement and training programs while held at the DC Jail.

More than a dozen members of Gray’s family were present at the sentencing hearing to support her.

“I think the sentencing wasn’t fair,” Gray’s brother told D.C. Witness. “It wasn’t fair at all. It wasn’t justice. I think the court portrayed my sister as a vigilante, as a killer, and she isn’t that. She’s responsible, but she’s a victim as well, and the kids are, and we all are. We all are victims.”

“With the kids being adolescents, young adults, it’s a crucial time for them to have an adult around to raise them up as men,” Gray’s brother observed.

“The victim’s family lost a loved one. They’ll never see him again. I understand that,” Gray’s brother stated. “We’re also losing my sister, but we have a chance to see her again, and we all just hope that we’ll still be alive by the time she comes out.”

He concluded, “I extend my sincere condolences to the family of the victim, to all his family.”