Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Isaiah Stokes has been convicted of murder for the 2021 ambush shooting of Tyrone Jones. The victim was shot 11 times while sitting in a parked vehicle, waiting for a friend. The jury found Stokes guilty of second-degree murder and two counts of possession of a weapon, according to a press release from the Queens District Attorney's office.
The case presented by the prosecutors found that Stokes, identified as a part-time actor, sought revenge after an altercation at Jones' birthday party, after which he stewed for months and planned the fatal shooting. The attack was described by Katz as "a calculated murder." Following a two-week jury trial that began on February 13, Stokes was convicted last Friday and now faces 25 years to life when sentenced on March 21.
Stokes had placed a GPS tracking device on Jones’ vehicle on or about January 29, 2021, which he used to locate the victim in St. Albans. On February 7, 2021, Stokes approached Jones' Jeep Grand Cherokee and fired the shots that caused Jones to suffer multiple wounds and die on the scene. Details entailed that Stokes drove a rented Audi SUV from New Jersey and carefully orchestrated the attack, circling the area before committing the crime, as detailed by the same press release.
Detectives of the NYPD, including Detective Daniel Connors of the 113th Precinct and retired Detective Michael Naus, formerly of the NYPD’s Queens South Homicide Squad, arrested Stokes on July 16, 2021, with the support of the NYPD's Regional Fugitive Task Force, documents discovered during a search warrant execution at Stokes’ apartment connected him directly to the GPS device found under the victim's vehicle. Assistant District Attorney Timothy Regan, together with Deputy Chief Dina Hodges, prosecuted the case under the supervision of Bureau Chief Karen Rankin and Executive Assistant District Attorney Pishoy Yacoub.
The prosecution focused on the premeditation and intent behind the killing. “This was a calculated murder. The defendant, a part-time actor, stewed for months after being thrown out of a birthday party for his own inappropriate behavior. Intent on revenge, Isaiah Stokes placed a GPS on the victim’s car and tracked Tyrone Jones down to Linden Boulevard, where he ruthlessly shot the man 11 times as he sat in his car. My office is laser-focused on gun violence, and we will utilize every tool at our disposal to investigate, arrest and prosecute those who use deadly guns on our streets. I thank our prosecutors and the NYPD detectives who built this case. The jury has now spoken, and the defendant faces up to 25 years to life at sentencing for his criminal actions,” Katz said, as reported by the Queens District Attorney's office.
