Judge William Jackson sentenced Tarkeyshia Brown to 19 years in prison Wednesday after she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the October 2011 stabbing death of Jawan Parker.
Prosecutors had been seeking the maximum sentence of 21 years since Oct. 2012, but Brown’s sentencing was pushed back several times so that she could be evaluated by mental health professionals.
Prosecutors believe Jawan Parker was killed over $10 he owed for a PCP purchase from Tarkeyshia Brown.
“I apologize to the Parker family for what I did, and to the court,” Brown said Wednesday, fighting through tears.
Brown, who will be required to serve five years supervised release when her sentence ends, was in an abusive relationship that left her “moral compass in a different place,” her attorney, Veda Coleman, said. Coleman said the boyfriend would pistol-whip her and physically assaulted her frequently.
Brown’s attorney requested that Brown be placed in a facility that would enable her to get mental health treatment.
Brown “hasn’t been treated with dignity and respect,” Coleman said. “We think her background is a mitigating factor.”
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors declined to pursue first-degree murder charges and enhancements for crimes committed while on pretrial release against Brown.
