FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Milwaukee County Jail in Milwaukee, Wis., shows Christopher Stokes. A Milwaukee man has been sentenced to 205 years in prison for fatally shooting five members of his family and he offered no explanation for his actions, saying that he must have a lot of hate. Before receiving his sentence Tuesday, July 28, 2021, Christopher Stokes told the judge in Milwaukee County Circuit Court that he wasn't asking for leniency and that he deserved to be locked up. (Milwaukee County Jail via AP)
Republished July 28, 2021 - 6:40 AM
Original Publication Date July 28, 2021 - 5:16 AM
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Milwaukee man has been sentenced to 205 years in prison for fatally shooting five members of his family and he offered no explanation for his actions, saying that he must have a lot of hate.
Before receiving his sentence Tuesday, Christopher Stokes told the judge in Milwaukee County Circuit Court that he wasn't asking for leniency and that he deserved to be locked up. Stokes, 44, said he couldn't explain why he killed his family members.
Killed were Teresa Thomas, 41, and her two children, 16-year-old Tiera Agee and 14-year-old Demetrius Thomas. Two others related to Stokes were also killed, 19-year-old Marcus Stokes and 17-year-old Lakeitha Stokes.
Only Stokes' 3-year-old grandchild was spared. Prosecutors say the child witnessed the shootings and asked Stokes not to hurt him.
A criminal complaint said Stokes called 911 on April 27, 2020, and told dispatchers he had “just massacred" his family.
Milwaukee County Judge Michelle Havas sentenced Stokes to 40 years in prison for each of the five counts of first-degree reckless homicide he earlier pleaded guilty to, plus another five years for illegally possessing a gun as a convicted felon.
News from © The Associated Press, 2021