‘Like she got shot again’: Second man guilty in Chester drive-by shooting of girl
A second Chester man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the drive-by shooting death of a Rock Hill girl.
Yet the family of victim, Jada Darayona Jones, said in court Wednesday that the punishment should be more severe for the killing of a girl only 14 years old. She died after she was shot in June 2018 while standing outside a friend’s home in Chester.
Hezekiah Roymel Tinsley, 20, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Chester County criminal court to voluntary manslaughter. On Monday, Rapheal Sidique Carter, 22, received the same sentence after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
Both men fired weapons as the car drove by, said Candice Lively, 6th Circuit Deputy Solicitor. Jada Jones was not believed to be the target of the shooting, Lively said.
Murder charges against both men were dismissed as part of plea negotiations, lawyers said in court. The sentencing range agreed upon was 20-28 years for both suspects, testimony showed.
Darryl Jones, Jada Jones’ father, said in court Wednesday that his daughter’s life was worth more than a maximum of 28 years in prison.
“The most they can get is 28 years? That’s it?” Darryl Jones asked Circuit Judge Brian Gibbons. “It’s like she got shot again.”
Darryl Jones said the decision made by the shooters took the life of a girl who had a bright future.
‘This will haunt me the rest of my life,” Darryl Jones told Gibbons.
Gibbons said in court that what happened to Jada Jones is the worst nightmare of any parent.
“My heart is broken,” Gibbons said. “There is so much tragedy...Hearts in this courtroom are broken.”
Geoff Dunn, Tinsley’s lawyer, said in court the violent killing has no rationalization.
“This is one case where we just don’t understand why,” Dunn said. “My client had a job, had finished high school, was doing the right things.”
Tinsley apologized in court in a brief statement.
“I am truly sorry,” Tinsley said in a soft voice that was almost a whisper. “I am so sorry.”
Lively, the prosecutor, asked for the maximum sentence. But she added that no amount of prison time will bring back the 14-year-old girl who died.
“I have said so many times before, no matter the amount of time he gets, it is not going to take away the pain,” Lively said.
This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 3:09 PM.
