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District residents Delonte Stevenson, 28, and Vorreze Thomas, Jr., 26, were found guilty of first-degree murder by armed and other offenses for the fatal January 2021 shooting of 32-year-old Terrance Allen.
On Thursday, officials announced that Stevenson was sentenced to 85 years in prison of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, first-degree murder while armed, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and related firearms offenses.
Thomas was sentenced to 53 years for conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, first-degree murder while armed, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and related firearms offenses.
Prosecutors said that on Jan. 18, 2021, Stevenson and Thomas’ vehicle intercepted a vehicle driven by Allen as it was leaving the Stanton Glen Apartments.
Stevenson fired 34 shots with a rifle, while sitting in the front passenger’s seat, into the back of Allen’s vehicle, killing Allen and injuring two others - including their actual target.
"Allen was not the intended target; rather, Stevenson and Thomas were attempting to kill one of the other men in the car with Allen with whom they had a dispute," according to officials.
Following the shooting, the two attempted to flee, but a nearby officer from the Metropolitan Police Department heard the shooting and a pursuit was launched that ended when they crashed at the intersection of 29th and Erie Street SE.
The pair was able to successfully flee on foot; however officers later located the murder weapon and Thomas' cell phone in the crashed vehicle.
Both Stevenson and Thomas were arrested a month later on Feb. 17, 2021 and have been in custody since.
In addition to murder, Stevenson and Thomas were also found guilty following a 13-day trial of two counts of assault with intent to kill, and various firearms related charges. The jury deliberated for less than a day before convicting them.
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