Another member of the Newton Nine has been sentenced to prison as Robbie Dontay Chapman, 20, pleaded guilty to manslaughter Dec. 11 in Newton County Circuity Court.
Chapman was charged, along with Lyndale Jones and Richard Vonell Lofton, with killing Jamarcus Townsend, 21, of Newton. Townsend was found shot dead outside his home at 113 Tillman St. just before midnight on March 17, 2017.
As the investigation progressed, Newton Police also arrested Jordan D’Mark Myers, Robert Shadon Bender, Darron LaShuan Thames, Ashton Thompson, Devon Dequion Thompson and Jessica Powers in connection with the crime, though Chapman, Jones and Lofton were believed to have pulled the trigger.
District Attorney Steven Kilgore said Chapman will serve 20 years jail for his part in the March 17, 2017 killing of Jamarcus Townsend.
“Chapman plead guilty to 20 years on the charge of manslaughter last Tuesday,” Kilgore said. “The victim’s mother was in the courtroom and approved the plea.
Kilgore said Chapman apologized to Townsend’s mother and family for his role in the death of her son.
“Mr. Chapman apologized in open court to her and the family, and the mother said she forgave him,” he said.
In August, Myers, Lofton and Ashton Thompson were also given 20-year sentences for their part in Townsend’s death. Powers pleaded guilty in July and received a five-year sentence in exchange for “truth in testimony” in any trials related to the Townsend murder.
Currently, five other suspects are awaiting trial in relation to the Townsend murder. Lyndale Jones, charged with first degree murder; Darron Thames, charged with conspiracy to commit murder; and Devon Thompson and Robert Bender, who have been charged with being accessories to murder after the fact.
