Joyner Receives 16 Years for 2016 Murder

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On June 8, a DC Superior Court judge sentenced a man, who pled guilty to a fatal shooting, to 16 years in prison.

Thomas Joyner pled guilty to second-degree murder on Sept. 16, 2016, for fatally shooting Joe Cook. As part of Joyner’s sentence, the 23-year-old is required to serve an additional five years on supervised release.

By pleading guilty to the murder, several other charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, were dismissed.

Joyner shot Cook, 35, on the 2500 block of Elvans Road, SE. During a May 25 hearing, Joyner said he was under the influence of PCP, an hallucinatory drug also known as angel dust, when he pulled the trigger.

Even though Joyner was sentenced on May 25, his sentence was not imposed because Joyner needed to resolve a civil matter in Maryland.

Learn more about the case here.