Woman sentenced in murder plea, four others still charged
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on January 20, 2017 1:35 PM
Wall
Jennele Lea Howard Wall, 36, pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder and other related charges for her part in the January 2016 killing of 47-year-old Carlos Cesar Vasquez Luna.
Wall also pleaded guilty to attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or seriously injure and first-degree burglary.
She was sentenced to a minimum of 27 years in prison. Wall will be given credit for her time served of 369 days toward her sentence.
Montrel Demontrin Allen, 41, Billy Renaldo Hamm, 44, Jerry Aundrey Parks, 41, and Darius Lamar Chestnut, 35, were also arrested in connection to Luna's murder.
Allen is charged with first-degree burglary and two counts of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon.
Chestnut is charged with the same.
Hamm is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first-degree burglary and attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, which are the same charges Wall initially faced before pleading out on Tuesday.
Parks is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first-degree burglary and two counts of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon.
Assistant District Attorney Davis Weddle, who handled the prosecution of the case, said he could not go into detail on the four men's cases, as they are awaiting resolution.
"There is only so much I can say until everyone is finished," Weddle said.
The four men allegedly aided Wall in a Jan. 9, 2016, double-shooting that killed Luna and injured 25-year-old Alfred Garcias.
"There is no final disposition on those cases yet," Weddle said.
The quintet reportedly shot Luna dead inside his home at 159 Sleepy Creek Road in Dudley during a failed robbery attempt.
All five of them were arrested shortly after the crime happened on murder and robbery charges.
Weddle said if Wall would've went to trial, the district attorney's office faced a risk of her getting sentenced to less time if aggravating factors in the crime could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt to the jury.
Weddle added there was also the chance that Wall would've gotten more time if she were to be convicted of the first-degree murder charge during a trial, but by agreeing to a plea deal it guarantees that she will serve time on the charge.