Third man sentenced to prison for drive-by shooting death of Kansas City 3-year-old
One of three men charged in the 2015 shooting death of 3-year-old Amorian Hale has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
SirTerry L. Stevenson, 26, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action in connection to the killing.
During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing in Jackson County Circuit Court, Stevenson apologized to Amorian’s family members.
“It is true,” Stevenson said, according to a statement provided by the prosecutor’s office. “I’m sorry for the loss of the little boy’s life … It shouldn’t have happened.”
Amorian was asleep on May 31, 2015, when a fusillade of bullets was fired from an assault-style rifle into his family’s home in the 6700 block of Walrond Avenue.
One bullet struck the boy’s head, killing him instantly. Two adults and three other children in the home were not hit.
Prosecutors alleged in court documents that the shooting was carried out in retaliation for the fatal shooting of Dominique Marchbanks’ brother several months earlier.
Prosecutors said Marchbanks was a passenger in a car driven by Stevenson on the night of the shooting. When the car drove by the house, authorities said Marchbanks leaned out the car window with an assault-style rifle and sprayed the house with bullets.
Marchbanks was found guilty of second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action, and was sentenced to 165 years plus life in prison last December for his role in the boy’s death.
Another defendant in the case, Sulif Wilkins, pleaded guilty to second-degree involuntary manslaughter in October and received a four-year sentence set to run concurrent with a federal sentence he is serving in another case, according to court records.
This story was originally published January 23, 2019 at 5:38 PM.
