Isaiah Stokes Law & Order actor sentenced 25 years in revenge killing of Tyron Jones after thrown out of Queens birthday party for bad behavior. Former actor stalked victim for months before shooting him dead.
Define irony? Law & Order: Special Victims Unit actor Isaiah Stokes has been sentenced to 25 years to life after gunning down Tyron Jones in 2021 following an altercation months earlier.
Jones, 37, who was stalked by Stokes for four months following an altercation at Jones’ birthday party – suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head and chest and was pronounced dead on the scene in St Albans, Queen’s, New York on February 7 2021. The NYPD arrested the Law & Order actor five months later.
Stokes, 45, was found guilty of murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree on March 13 following a two-week jury trial. The former actor was sentenced to 25 years jail on Friday, March 21, the dailymail reported.
Law and Order actor hunted victim and shot him dead 11 times
Stokes had ‘defiantly’ maintained his innocence only for the sentencing judge to retort, ‘I don’t care what you said! I don’t care if you maintain your innocence, you are more guilty than anyone I’ve seen in this courtroom!’
‘You thought staying in jail for as long as you can would do wonders for your movie career when you got out.
‘But here’s the problem, you have to get out and you’re not getting out, no-one can intentionally plan a murder and carry it out as stupidly as you did.
‘You were angry over a beatdown you got months earlier, you had all that rage consuming you for months and hatched this ridiculous plan.
‘You hunted down Jones and shot him 11 times and ensured he would die… ironically the murderous rage you undertook presents you with the notoriety you hope for.
‘You’re now an example of how one can completely ruin their life in the blink of an eye.’
When life mirrors art
The judge recalled how Stokes’ past attorneys had ‘strenuously recommended’ he take a plea deal after seeing video evidence, which was declined.
Referencing Stokes’ past success as an actor, he said: ‘You have some small degree of talent, impressive talent, what makes this whole thing so perplexing
‘Why would you throw all this away for a fight that you said was “no big deal”…, that clearly was a lie.’
Queen’s District Attorney Katz Melinda Katz said in part: ‘Isaiah Stokes, embarrassed and upset that he was thrown out of a birthday party in October 2020, sought revenge on Tyrone Jones.’
‘Justice has now been served for the premeditated murder perpetrated by this defendant and he will now spend 25 years to life in prison as a direct consequence of his criminal actions.’
In an impact victim impact statement, Tyrone’s father, Tyrone Jones Sr., condemned ‘monster’ Stokes for ‘stalking and murdering’ his only son.
He said: ‘TJ was fun, loving, he is my son, a brother, uncle and a nephew
‘What I don’t want to remember is the day that you decided to murder my son
‘I lost my only son on February 7 2021, TJ did not die from a car accident or a disease but by the hand of a monster, Isaiah Stokes
‘Isaiah, you stalked my son, you followed TJ for weeks, but TJ… What did TJ do to you?
Promising acting career gone
Said DA Katz in a previous statement: ‘This was a calculated murder. The defendant, a part-time actor, stewed for months after being thrown out of a [2020] birthday party for his own inappropriate behavior [toward female party guests].
‘Intent on revenge, Isaiah Stokes placed a GPS on the victim’s car and tracked Tyrone Jones down to Linden Boulevard, where he ruthlessly shot the man 11 times as he sat in his [parked Jeep Cherokee].
The Queens native portrayed the character Tyrone Beckwith in one episode during season 10 of NBC‘s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which aired back in 2009.
In 2006, Isaiah had a two-episode arc as the shooter who murdered NYPD detective Johnny Gavin (Dean Winters) in season three of FX’s Rescue Me.
In 2011, Stokes played the character Louis in the second season of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.
The FONTY Records founder played two different roles – drugstore employee and spitting guy – during seasons two and four of comedian Louis C.K.’s FX series Louie in 2011 and 2014.
Isaiah’s last credited acting gig was in 2019 guest-starring as Mozzy in one season six episode of Starz show Power executive produced by 50 Cent.
Stokes’ last music release was the track Persona of a Hustler in 2023 under his hip-hop alias is I$AIAH.
