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Maurice Stansberry, Jr., 18, of Kingston, was sentenced on Friday, Dec. 13, after pleading guilty in June to taking part in the robbery, said Ulster County District Attorney D. Holley Carnright.
According to Carnright, the crime took place on Dec. 1, 2018, when Stansberry, his father, Maurice Stansberry, Sr., and Kevin Gardener, went to the Sawkill Trailer Park to buy marijuana.
During the deal, Stansberry, Sr., pointed a loaded gun at the dealer and demanded the drugs and then hopped in a vehicle driven by the younger Stansberry.
The dealer’s father, 39-year-old Mark Lancaster of Kingston, learned that his son had been ripped off and chased the car, finally forcing it to stop on Sawkill Road.
Lancaster then approached the vehicle and opened the driver's door and demanded the pot back. That's when Stansberry Sr., shot him and killed him, the District Attorney's Office said.
Stansberry Jr. testified in the trial which convicted his father of murder and a host of other serious violent felonies arising from the robbery.
Stansberry was represented by Kevin Harp who indicated that Stansberry did not want him to ask for a more lenient sentence.
In a brief statement during his sentencing, which was punctuated by questions from the judge, Stansberry blamed himself and said “choices I made .. . . . . to fit in . . . with my dad.” He also apologized to Mark Lancaster’s family.
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