Man Jailed 205 Years For Killing Five Members Of His Family (Photo)

 

A 44-year-old man who killed five members of his family has been sentenced to 205 years in prison.

 

Christopher Stokes had pleaded guilty to the horrific crimes which he carried out without explanation in April of last year.

 

On Tuesday, Stokes spoke to the court prior to his sentencing and stated: 'I don't know what in the world came over me. I woke up and just had blood on my mind.'

 

He continued: 'Something just wasn't going right. I did the ultimate sin… I deserve to be locked up. I deserve everything I get. I'm not asking for leniency or anything like that. No one in the world should have done what I did.'

 

Stokes was sentenced to 40 years behind bars for each of the five counts of first-degree reckless homicide and an additional five years for possession of a firearm by a felon. He was also given 105 years of extended supervision.

 

Stokes' attorney had asked for his client to serve just 35 years behind bars, claiming he had sought out mental health treatment a month before the massacre, but in-person sessions had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Prosecutors said it was important Stokes never be released from prison, given his unpredictable nature.

 

On the morning of April 27, 2020, Stokes shot dead his on-off girlfriend Teresa Thomas, 41, and her two children, 16-year-old Tiera Agee and 14-year-old Demetrius Thomas.

 

He also killed his own son, 19-year-old Marcus Stokes and another relative, 17-year-old Lakeitha Stokes.

 

Only Stokes' three-year-old grandchild was spared. Prosecutors say the child witnessed the shootings and asked Stokes not to hurt him.

 

Stokes dialed 911 after the shootings and told the dispatcher that several members of his family had been shot and that the gun was 'still upstairs with the bodies.'

 

He then called 911 a second time and again confessed to killing his family with the weapon.

 

When police arrived at the house, Stokes was sitting on the steps. When an officer asked Stokes if he had heard any shots, he responded, 'Yeah, I didn't hear them, I did them,' according to the complaint.

 

Police discovered a camouflaged 12-gauge shotgun in one of the bedrooms with 12 spent shotgun shells throughout the house.