Anthony Anderson was sentenced today to three and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of 48-year-old Tyrone Smith last June in Petworth.
Prosecutors alleged that Anderson gave Smith money to purchase cocaine, then became angry and accused Smith of stealing money from him. Anderson punched Smith, striking him in the face and Smith fell backward and struck his head on concrete, the government’s proffer of evidence states.
Anderson’s defense attorney, Lauren Bernstein, said Friday that Anderson was homeless for five years before he struck Smith.
“The streets of DC are not kind. People who are homeless have to fight all the time,” she said. “He never thought punching somebody one time would kills them.”
Of the altercation over the money she said, “Mr. Anderson doesn’t have a lot of money, so it was important to him.”
In a plea agreement, attorneys agreed to seek a three to five year sentence for the crime. Anderson, who has cancer, will likely serve the time at a federal medical facility.
