Two men charged with first-degree murder, felony murder and especially aggravated robbery pleaded guilty to lesser charges this morning in Hamilton County Criminal Court.
James Coleman, 42, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Mr. Coleman and Reggie Stokes, 34, were accused of killing an 81-year-old man during a robbery at a local gas station on Dec. 16, 2005.
In court today, Mr. Stokes entered an Alford plea for facilitation to commit second-degree murder. Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit the act but admits that enough evidence exists for the prosecution to convince a judge or jury of the defendant’s guilt.
Mr. Stokes was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, but with credit for time served, he could be released in about a year and a half if paroled, defense attorney Robin Flores said.
“Even if we went to trial, there was a strong likelihood that the jury would have convicted him... of this very charge,” Mr. Flores said.
For complete coverage, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.
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