A New York City-based actor who has appeared in “Law Order: SVU,” “Power” and “Boardwalk Empire” is awaiting his fate after he was found guilty of a 2021 fatal shooting. According to Qns.com, 45-year-old Isaiah Stokes was convicted of shooting 37-year-old Tyrone Jones in St. Albans, Queens, as he waited in his car for a friend to show up for lunch.
A jury convicted Stokes on charges of second-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Prosecutors say Stokes shot Jones in an attempt to get revenge after the two had a run-in during Jones’ October 2020 birthday party.
According to witnesses, Stokes was behaving inappropriately, which caused Jones to ask him to leave the Queens club where his party was being held. But when Stokes said “no,” he was injured by some of the other guests. Prosecutors said Stokes put a GPS tracker underneath Jones’ car in late January 2021, which allowed him to keep tabs on his whereabouts. The prosecution’s case included surveillance footage which shows Stokes approaching the victim’s Jeep Grand Cherokee on the afternoon of February 7, 2021 and firing 11 shots into the driver’s side window. Jones, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the New York Post.
After the shooting, Stokes drove back to his Queens apartment, as Qns.com reported. Days later, on February 16, he returned the Audi SUV he drove to the crime scene to a New Jersey rental location.
“This was a calculated murder,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. “The defendant, a part-time actor, stewed for months after being thrown out of a birthday party for his own inappropriate behavior.”
According to the New York Post, a judge has scheduled Stokes’ sentencing for March 21, where he could face 25 years to life in prison.