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Published on January 24, 2025
19-Year-Old Sentenced to Over 27 Years in Prison for Murder of Cleveland MotherSource: Google Street View

In a case that has highlighted the persistent issue of gun violence in Cuyahoga County, 19-year-old Christopher Stinson has entered a guilty plea for the murder of Antwoina Carter, a 26-year-old mother, and was sentenced to 27 to 32.5 years in prison, as announced by Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O'Malley.

The fatal shooting occurred on March 17, 2024, when Carter was driving near her residence on East 105th Street near Garfield Avenue in Cleveland, details of which were recounted by the prosecutor's office. Stinson and two accomplices, Trinity Ford and Lashuwndre Coleman, were also in a vehicle on the same street when a road incident escalated – Carter allegedly passed on the right side of Ford's car. He stopped, which was then followed by Stinson firing at least 20 shots at Carter's vehicle, fatally striking her in the back, and the group fled the scene quickly after.

According to a statement from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, video evidence linked Stinson, Ford, and Coleman to the crime, which occurred at a time when Cleveland Police Department officers were at Carter's home for an unrelated matter. After the shooting, EMS responded and transported Carter to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

On January 23, 2025, Stinson's guilty plea encompassed one count of Involuntary Manslaughter, one count of Felonious Assault, and one count of Discharge of Firearm On or Near Prohibited Premises, which was the culmination of the case brought by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department's investigating of the incident "This maniac fired 20 rounds at 26-year-old mother Antwoina Carter taking her life. He deserves to spend the next 27 years in prison," said Prosecutor O'Malley in a statement that emphasized the senselessness of the violence, according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office.

As part of the same case, the prosecution also saw Trinity Ford and Lashuwndre Coleman entering guilty pleas for their involvement; their sentencing will be carried out at a future date. The series of pleas underscores the county's ongoing struggle with gun-related crimes and the lives tragically cut short due to such violence.