A Durham judge on Monday signed off on a plea deal that will keep Stephon Dubose in prison for decades for the 2023 killing of Duke graduate student Angela Risi. The agreement sets a minimum 35-year sentence, and with credit for roughly two and a half years he has already served, Dubose is expected to spend about 32 more years behind bars. Family members flew in from California for the hearing, which unfolded on what would have been Risi’s 33rd birthday.
The judge formally accepted the plea on Feb. 23, with court filings documenting the credit for time served, according to WRAL. The deal takes life in prison off the table while still locking in a sentence that stretches across several decades.
Dubose pleaded guilty in January to second-degree murder and attempted murder. Court records reviewed by PEOPLE show that the agreement calls for two consecutive prison terms that together total between 35 and 44 years. The paperwork outlines a 20 to 25 year sentence for the murder charge, followed by a consecutive 15 to 19 year term for attempted murder.
The Shooting And Its Aftermath
Prosecutors say the violence erupted on Oct. 2, 2023, when Dubose shattered the front door glass at Risi’s Durham home, then chased her toward the back of the house and fired 11 shots, eight of which struck her, according to Law&Crime. He then went into her roommate’s bedroom and fired three more rounds. Risi was pronounced dead at a hospital, and her roommate, Anna Semmes, survived but remains permanently disabled.
Risi’s father and other relatives traveled from California to be in the courtroom. He told the judge that Feb. 23 would have been his daughter’s 33rd birthday and said the family has “lived every day since then in deep sadness,” according to WRAL. In court, Dubose apologized, said he had been using drugs at the time of the shooting, and told the judge he accepted responsibility for what he had done, the outlet reported.
Plea Terms And What Comes Next
The plea deal spares Durham a full trial and locks in a sentencing range instead of leaving the outcome entirely in the hands of a jury, with the terms set out in court documents reviewed by PEOPLE. Prosecutors and the judge must still finalize how the credit for time already served will be applied before an exact sentence is entered on the record.
Remembering Risi
Friends and classmates have described Risi as a gifted dancer and teacher who brought a quiet intensity to her work. She was pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in dance at Duke after earlier studies in California, according to local reporting. Coverage from San Diego highlighted her roots there and the family’s grief in the wake of the 2023 killing, and memorial gatherings were held in both Durham and California, per KGTV.
A formal sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. The judge’s acceptance of the plea moves the case toward final sentencing and the detailed credit calculations that will determine exactly how long Dubose stays behind bars, according to Law&Crime. For Risi’s family, friends, and classmates, the court’s decision offers at least a measure of legal closure, even as the larger question of how a relationship dispute turned deadly still hangs over the case.
