Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Isaiah Stokes was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison today after being convicted of murder for the fatal shooting of Tyrone Jones in St. Albans on February 7, 2021. The victim was sitting in a parked Jeep Cherokee and waiting for a friend to arrive for lunch when he was shot and killed. The shooting is believed to have been retaliation for an altercation between the defendant and the victim at the victim’s birthday party in October 2020.

District Attorney Katz said: “Isaiah Stokes, embarrassed and upset that he was thrown out of a birthday party in October 2020, sought revenge on Tyrone Jones. Months later, the defendant attached a GPS tracking device to his victim’s vehicle and stalked Jones for more than a week. Stokes tracked Jones down to Linden Boulevard and fired 11 times into Jones’ vehicle, striking the man in his head and chest. 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.”

Stokes, 45, of 62^nd Road, Rego Park, was found guilty March 7 of murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree following a two-week jury trial, which started on February 13. Justice Kenneth Holder, who presided at trial, sentenced the defendant to 25 years to life in prison today.

According to the charges and trial testimony, 37-year-old victim Tyrone Jones and the defendant, a part-time actor, met during the victim’s birthday party at a Queens club in October 2020. Both parties were involved in an altercation related to Stokes’ inappropriate behavior toward female party guests. After Stokes refused Jones’ request that he leave, Stokes was injured during a physical altercation with other partygoers.

On or about January 29, 2021, the defendant placed a GPS tracking device underneath Jones’ vehicle and used that to track down the victim on February 7, 2021.

At approximately 2:30 p.m. that day, Stokes exited an Audi SUV with New Jersey license plates at the intersection of 200^th Street and 118^th Avenue. The defendant circled the area of 200^th Street and Linden Boulevard on foot for approximately 15 minutes before he walked towards Jones’ Jeep Grand Cherokee, took out a gun and fired 11 times into the car.

The victim, who was waiting for a friend inside the vehicle, suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head and chest and was pronounced dead on the scene.

Stokes drove the vehicle back to his Rego Park apartment later that afternoon and returned the vehicle to a rental location in Hackensack, NJ, on February 16.

Detective Daniel Connors of the NYPD’s 113^th Precinct and retired Detective Michael Naus, formerly of the NYPD’s Queens South Homicide Squad, investigated the case and ultimately arrested the defendant on July 16, 2021, at his apartment with the assistance of the NYPD’s Regional Fugitive Task Force. The execution of a search warrant at the defendant’s apartment revealed documents connecting the defendant to the GPS tracking device that was found beneath the victim’s vehicle.

Assistant District Attorney Timothy Regan, former Deputy Bureau Chief of the District Attorney’s Felony Trial Bureau IV, and current Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau, prosecuted the case with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Dina Hodges of Felony Trials Bureau IV, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Karen Rankin, Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Supreme Court Trial Division Pishoy Yacoub.