A man convicted in the fatal drive-by shooting of a 4-year-old boy in 2017 has been sentenced to 70 years behind bars. According to KSAT, Quentin Phillips was found guilty of murder last December 8 in the death of De’Earlvion Whitley, whose life was abruptly ended as he played video games inside his family's home.
The jury took nearly two hours to decide the fate of Phillips, rejecting a previously offered plea deal of 40 years from the District Attorney's Office and opting to take his chances at trial. To convict the alleged gang leader, the prosecution leaned on FBI surveillance footage indicating Phillips' involvement and the damning testimony of a fellow gang member, Charles Bethany, who, despite not being offered any deals, chose to stand witness and told KSAT.com, "Somebody has got to be accountable for that."
During the trial, Phillips' defense attempted to discredit the reliability of Bethany, accusing him of being a snitch and suggesting he could have been the shooter himself—a claim countered by presenting video evidence of Bethany's whereabouts during the shooting. Gang violence, which took De-Earlvion's innocent life, was at the heart of the strife, part of a turf war that terrorized the East Side community.
Bexar County DA Joe Gonzales highlighted the broader impacts of gang violence, "The murder of De-Earlvion Whitley, an innocent child, shows the devastating consequences of street gang violence and the importance of ensuring the safety and security of our communities," he stated, as obtained by KSAT.com. In a separate look back at the case, KSAT also documented the events, revealing that De-Earlvion's father was the intended target of the shooting.
Phillips is but one of three men indicted in connection with De-Earlvion's murder. Another suspect, Terrell Chase, has been sentenced to life in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, a sentence that is currently under appeal. As the tragedy continues to unfold in court, the quest for justice for the 4-year-old victim perseveres, with more trials forthcoming and real consequences being dealt to those involved in the heartless act that turned a home into a crime scene and a family's life upside down.
