Current Events > Teen turns down plea deal for 25 years in prison, gets 65 years instead

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/04/05/teen-accomplice-sentenced-65-years/492001002/

WETUMPKA, Ala. A teenager tried as an adult under Alabama's accomplice liability law was sentenced to 65 years in prison Thursday after rejecting an earlier plea deal that recommended 25 years.

In a two-day trial in March, Lakeith Smith, now 18, of Montgomery was convicted of felony murder, burglary and theft for helping in the 2015 break-ins of two homes in Millbrook, about 10 miles north of Montgomery. He did not kill A'Donte Washington, 16, of Montgomery, who was part of a group of five accused in the thefts.

But several in the group, including Washington, fired shots at Millbrook police officers who responded Feb. 23, 2015, to a call of a burglary in progress, according to officer body-camera footage. The officer that Washington ran toward pointing a .38 caliber revolver fired his police-issued sidearm four times, killing Washington.

Smith was accused of being criminally responsible for the acts that led to Washington's death, the gist of Alabama's accomplice law. An Elmore County grand jury cleared the officer who fired the fatal shots; the officer's name was not released.

On Thursday, Judge Sibley Reynolds of Alabama's 19th Judicial Circuit Court handed down three sentences that Smith will serve back to back: 30 years for murder, 15 years for burglary and 10 years each for two theft convictions.

Smith smiled and laughed through the sentencing, said C.J. Robinson, chief assistant district attorney. Smith flashed a broad smile March 14 as he was led out of the courtroom shortly after the verdicts were announced.

I dont think Mr. Smith will be smiling long when he gets to prison, Robinson said. We are very pleased with this sentence. Because the sentences are consecutive, it will be a long time before he comes up for even the possibility for parole, at least 20 to 25 years.

Alabama's accomplice law states that a person is legally liable for the behavior of another who commits a criminal offense if that person aids or abets the first person in committing the offense. It wasn't immediately known how many states have similar statutes.

"The officer shot A'donte, not Lakeith Smith," Smith's lawyer, Jennifer Holton, said during the trial. "Lakeith was a 15-year-old child, scared to death. He did not participate in the act that caused the death of A'donte. He never shot anybody."

Other surviving defendants charged in the case Montgomery residents Jadarien Hardy, 22; Jhavarske Jackson, 23; and LaAnthony Washington, 22 entered guilty pleas to charges of felony murder, burglary and theft, court records show. They are awaiting sentencing.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX7wtNOkuHo" data-time="
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He smiled and laughed, wow no sympathy for him.
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seems a bit excessive for a 15 year old committing theft

If he was white I doubt the sentencing would have been the same. Being in shithole Alabama doesnt help either
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Convicting people of murder who never killed anyone seems like a pretty obvious perversion of justice, but it's sadly common practice all across the country. If you commit a crime with another person and the cops kill that other person, you're responsible?

I'm hard right and I have no pity for criminals, but I also think people should only be convicted of the things they actually do. This kid didn't kill anyone. Frankly it seems like carte blanche for the cops to kill anyone they want, so long as they leave one person alive to take the fall for it.
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Blue_Inigo posted...

If he was white I doubt the sentencing would have been the same. Being in shithole Alabama doesnt help either

Shut the fuck up race baiter
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KillerKhan420 posted...

Blue_Inigo posted...

If he was white I doubt the sentencing would have been the same. Being in shithole Alabama doesnt help either

Shut the fuck up race baiter

What, he struck a nerve?
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Good, that's exactly what that criminal scum deserved
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Blue_Inigo posted...

If he was white I doubt the sentencing would have been the same. Being in shithole Alabama doesnt help either

Put it back in the deck
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r4X0r posted...

Convicting people of murder who never killed anyone seems like a pretty obvious perversion of justice, but it's sadly common practice all across the country. If you commit a crime with another person and the cops kill that other person, you're responsible?

I'm hard right and I have no pity for criminals, but I also think people should only be convicted of the things they actually do. This kid didn't kill anyone. Frankly it seems like carte blanche for the cops to kill anyone they want, so long as they leave one person alive to take the fall for it.

I read this article yesterday at work. And while turning down the plea and being flippant and arrogant isn't justification for that steep a sentence, he should get time. With that attitude (if prison doesn't change his tune) he'll no doubt be back at it when he's released.

I do agree with you though on just being sentenced for his actions and his alone. Anything else just seems a wrong path to go down.
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KillerKhan420 posted...

Blue_Inigo posted...

If he was white I doubt the sentencing would have been the same. Being in shithole Alabama doesnt help either

Shut the fuck up race baiter

Its the truth
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Life in jail for getting peer pressured into coming along for a robbery then doing absolutely nothing. Lolabama, dude's black so I'm not surprised that they were so quick to throw his life away.
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r4X0r posted...

I'm hard right and I have no pity for criminals, but I also think people should only be convicted of the things they actually do.

I read that as "I'm hard right now." Wouldn't shock me either.
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fair;next. dont join groups of thiefs and murderers.
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Scorsese2002 posted...

Other surviving defendants charged in the case Montgomery residents Jadarien Hardy, 22; Jhavarske Jackson, 23; and LaAnthony Washington, 22 entered guilty pleas to charges of felony murder, burglary and theft, court records show. They are awaiting sentencing.

How did their mothers pick these names? Did they just grab random scrabble tiles and said "there we go"?
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RE_expert44 posted...

Scorsese2002 posted...

Other surviving defendants charged in the case Montgomery residents Jadarien Hardy, 22; Jhavarske Jackson, 23; and LaAnthony Washington, 22 entered guilty pleas to charges of felony murder, burglary and theft, court records show. They are awaiting sentencing.

How did their mothers pick these names? Did they just grab random scrabble tiles and said "there we go"?

as someone who works with a lot of southern customers; its a trend in the southern black community to give unique versions of standard names.
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RE_expert44 posted...

Scorsese2002 posted...

Other surviving defendants charged in the case Montgomery residents Jadarien Hardy, 22; Jhavarske Jackson, 23; and LaAnthony Washington, 22 entered guilty pleas to charges of felony murder, burglary and theft, court records show. They are awaiting sentencing.

How did their mothers pick these names? Did they just grab random scrabble tiles and said "there we go"?

La'Anthony doesn't even make sense from a grammar perspective. An apostrophe is used to take the place of a missing letter, but there's no letter that could logically be placed there.
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Trigg3rH4ppy posted...

Life in jail for getting peer pressured into coming along for a robbery then doing absolutely nothing. Lolabama, dude's black so I'm not surprised that they were so quick to throw his life away.

In this post robbery is "nothing". It's funny seeing extremes on both sides. Shows how few people are capable of objectivity.
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The amount of time he's in for is excessive. Just because we don't like him doesn't mean he's not entitled to his fair process.
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r4X0r posted...

Convicting people of murder who never killed anyone seems like a pretty obvious perversion of justice, but it's sadly common practice all across the country. If you commit a crime with another person and the cops kill that other person, you're responsible?

I'm hard right and I have no pity for criminals, but I also think people should only be convicted of the things they actually do. This kid didn't kill anyone. Frankly it seems like carte blanche for the cops to kill anyone they want, so long as they leave one person alive to take the fall for it.

Right... I gotta agree with you. Im all for jail time, but 65 years?! Holy shit.
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Raikuro posted...

seems a bit excessive for a 15 year old committing theft

And shooting at cops.

Dude should have taken the deal.
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Sad_Face posted...

The amount of time he's in for is excessive. Just because we don't like him doesn't mean he's not entitled to his fair process.

He got his fair process. It resulted in the sentence given.
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Good. Dont parole his ass either
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@Trigg3rH4ppy posted...

Life in jail for getting peer pressured into coming along for a robbery then doing absolutely nothing. Lolabama, dude's black so I'm not surprised that they were so quick to throw his life away.

Yup blame them white folks and not the piece of shit criminal. Lmfao he threw his life away not them whities
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Cheater87 posted...

He smiled and laughed, wow no sympathy for him.

Maybe it was due to being in disbelief, not because he actually thought it was hilarious.
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Good fuck him, three years later and hes still smiling and laughing about it. He obviously doesnt regret it and would probably do the same shit all over again.
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He was a child when this happened and he didn't do anything he was just there. And he was only there due to peer pressure. This is fucked up

I thought you couldn't be this harsh on a child crime

Also he smiled cause he is nervous.

Welp...
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Zikten posted...

He was a child when this happened and he didn't do anything he was just there. And he was only there due to peer pressure. This is fucked up

I thought you couldn't be this harsh on a child crime

Also he smiled cause he is nervous.

Where are people getting 'he was just there?' Everything I read said he actively assisted with the robbery, and actually shot at the cops. That's literally why he got convicted.
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Someones dead and this adult is laughing at a sentencing. You all can feel sorry for him but hes gonna be in prison where he belongs. But please keep bitching on CE that will help him out!
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darkjedilink posted...

Zikten posted...

He was a child when this happened and he didn't do anything he was just there. And he was only there due to peer pressure. This is fucked up

I thought you couldn't be this harsh on a child crime

Also he smiled cause he is nervous.

Where are people getting 'he was just there?' Everything I read said he actively assisted with the robbery, and actually shot at the cops. That's literally why he got convicted.

Dont waste your time, there could be video of him shooting multiple cops and CE would make an excuse for him
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darkjedilink posted...

Sad_Face posted...

The amount of time he's in for is excessive. Just because we don't like him doesn't mean he's not entitled to his fair process.

He got his fair process. It resulted in the sentence given.

I'd hardly call having laws on the books that can convict you of crimes that not only did you not commit, but actually go against the entire legal definition of said crime, as "fair process" but we all know that doesn't exist much in the US Justice System anymore.
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Maybe I'm reading this wrong, so let's clarify.

In a two-day trial in March, Lakeith Smith, now 18, of Montgomery was convicted of felony murder, burglary and theft for helping in the 2015 break-ins of two homes in Millbrook, about 10 miles north of Montgomery. He did not kill A'Donte Washington, 16, of Montgomery, who was part of a group of five accused in the thefts.

But several in the group, including Washington, fired shots at Millbrook police officers who responded Feb. 23, 2015, to a call of a burglary in progress, according to officer body-camera footage. The officer that Washington ran toward pointing a .38 caliber revolver fired his police-issued sidearm four times, killing Washington.

Smith is the man on trial. Washington is the dead man. Washington ran towards a cop who shot him with a .38. I don't see where it says Smith was armed or shot at anyone. If Washington charges a cop who kills him, what did Smith do to deserve a murder conviction?
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Maybe people are confusing Smith and Washington

r4X0r posted...

If Washington charges a cop who kills him, what did Smith do to deserve a murder conviction?

Participated in a felony that led to someone dying.
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Then charge him with participating in a felony that led to someone dying... he didn't kill anyone. I can almost understand the intent, but all it does is create a back door free pass for the cops to shoot people and have somebody else go to prison for 65 years.
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r4X0r posted...

Then charge him with participating in a felony that led to someone dying... he didn't kill anyone. I can almost understand the intent, but all it does is create a back door free pass for the cops to shoot people and have somebody else go to prison for 65 years.

And a pretty fucking big incentive against being peer pressured into participating in a felony.

Fuck him.
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Sure, fuck him. He deserves time for sure. But not 65 years for murder, given he didn't kill anyone. This is the part that so many are glossing over:

He didn't kill anyone.
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Felony murder laws are bad
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Good.

If you dont like the rules dont play the game.
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Warrior_Man posted...

r4X0r posted...

Then charge him with participating in a felony that led to someone dying... he didn't kill anyone. I can almost understand the intent, but all it does is create a back door free pass for the cops to shoot people and have somebody else go to prison for 65 years.

And a pretty fucking big incentive against being peer pressured into participating in a felony.

Fuck him.

He was only 15. You expect him to know the law and to not make dumb decisions at 15. He also didn't know cops would show up. Things got out of hand

Zikten posted...

Warrior_Man posted...

r4X0r posted...

Then charge him with participating in a felony that led to someone dying... he didn't kill anyone. I can almost understand the intent, but all it does is create a back door free pass for the cops to shoot people and have somebody else go to prison for 65 years.

And a pretty fucking big incentive against being peer pressured into participating in a felony.

Fuck him.

He was only 15. You expect him to know the law and to not make dumb decisions at 15. He also didn't know cops would show up. Things got out of hand

I expect him not to follow his friends along on a robbery, and expect him to face the full consequences of the law when shit goes down, yes.

The fact that he fucked himself with the plea deal is icing.
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Warrior_Man posted...

Zikten posted...

Warrior_Man posted...

r4X0r posted...

Then charge him with participating in a felony that led to someone dying... he didn't kill anyone. I can almost understand the intent, but all it does is create a back door free pass for the cops to shoot people and have somebody else go to prison for 65 years.

And a pretty fucking big incentive against being peer pressured into participating in a felony.

Fuck him.

He was only 15. You expect him to know the law and to not make dumb decisions at 15. He also didn't know cops would show up. Things got out of hand

I expect him not to follow his friends along on a robbery, and expect him to face the full consequences of the law when shit goes down, yes.

The fact that he fucked himself with the plea deal is icing.

You could have easily made the same choices as him when you were his age

lob_city_3 posted...

Someones dead and this adult is laughing at a sentencing. You all can feel sorry for him but hes gonna be in prison where he belongs. But please keep bitching on CE that will help him out!

Sometimes people laugh when they are in disbelief...If i was handed 65 years for a murder i didn't commit I'd be in disbelief too. That moment could very well just be him saying "well fuck, there's my life...."...and sometimes all you can do is laugh.
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r4X0r posted...

Sure, fuck him. He deserves time for sure. But not 65 years for murder, given he didn't kill anyone. This is the part that so many are glossing over:

He didn't kill anyone.

He was charged with felony murder. He didnt kill someone, but apparently someone in his band of thugs did.

If a co-conspirator kills someone in the process of a felony, then everyone involved can be charged with the murder.
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Zikten posted...

You could have easily made the same choices as him when you were his age

No. At 15, I could not have easily been convinced to head out robbing people with my friends.

My friends also wouldn't shoot at the police. This is not typical behavior.
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Nomadic View posted...

r4X0r posted...

Sure, fuck him. He deserves time for sure. But not 65 years for murder, given he didn't kill anyone. This is the part that so many are glossing over:

He didn't kill anyone.

He was charged with felony murder. He didnt kill someone, but apparently someone in his band of thugs did.

If a co-conspirator kills someone in the process of a felony, then everyone involved can be charged with the murder.

It was the cop that killed. The cop shot a friend of this kid's. And he's being charged with that cop's action. It's a fucked up law that lets a cop pass off their action onto a crimal and blame them for it

Nomadic View posted...

r4X0r posted...

Sure, fuck him. He deserves time for sure. But not 65 years for murder, given he didn't kill anyone. This is the part that so many are glossing over:

He didn't kill anyone.

He was charged with felony murder. He didnt kill someone, but apparently someone in his band of thugs did.

If a co-conspirator kills someone in the process of a felony, then everyone involved can be charged with the murder.

Except from what I read, nobody in his group did. The police shot one of his group, and then charged him with murder
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r4X0r posted...

Then charge him with participating in a felony that led to someone dying... he didn't kill anyone. I can almost understand the intent, but all it does is create a back door free pass for the cops to shoot people and have somebody else go to prison for 65 years.

That's exactly what felony murder is. Anyone that participates in a crime that results in someone being killed, even if that death happens to be the police killing one of the perpetrators, that person is charged with felony murder.
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In fact, if you look at what he did and think to yourself "well shit, that could have been me", you had a fucked up childhood.
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