Jury recommends 18 years in slaying

Date published: 7/1/2006

By KEITH EPPS

A Fredericksburg jury late last night recommended that Ira D. Anderson serve 18 years in prison for killing a man in a 7-Eleven parking lot early New Year's Day.

Anderson, 20, of Manassas was convicted of second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony earlier in the evening.

Anderson shot and killed 27-year-old Anthony Eric King Jr. outside the Amaret 7-Eleven. The jury rejected Anderson's claim that he acted in self-defense.

The jury's decision followed an emotional sentencing hearing that featured comments from King's father, Anthony King Sr., and an unusual apology by Anderson.

Anderson was allowed to leave his chair and walk within 10 feet of the Kings to express his regrets about what he'd done to their son.

King's death came toward the end of a wild evening that started at the nearby Club Royale. During the three-day trial, witnesses testified that a ruckus involving nearly 100 people broke out at the club.

Numerous people were fighting and someone was firing shots during the mêlee, witnesses testified. One man, who was never identified, shot at a city police officer.

Sheena Bailey, Anderson's girlfriend, said she drove to the 7-Eleven after police told her to leave the club parking lot.

Anderson said he'd been pepper spray by the time he caught up with his girlfriend.

Both Bailey and Anderson claimed that King punched or stabbed Anderson under the eye while he was sitting in the passenger's seat.

Anderson said he heard people talking about shooting him and said he'd received threatening telephone messages earlier.

Anderson said he fired a .38-caliber handgun because he feared for his and Bailey's safety. King was pronounced dead a short time later.

The stolen gun used to kill King had been purchased on the streets for $250, Anderson testified.

In her closing argument, prosecutor LaBravia Jenkins called the self-defense claim "completely unfounded." She said that even if King hit Anderson, the response was an overreaction.

"No one deserves to die in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven because he hit someone," said Jenkins, who sought a first-degree murder conviction.

Tara-Beth Coleman, one of Anderson's attorneys, agreed that King didn't deserve to die because of a punch.

But she asked the jurors to consider other factors, including the threatening voicemail messages and the high drama at the nightclub.

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Date published: 7/1/2006