Woman who drove car in Suffolk shooting gets 10 years

SUFFOLK

Monique Davis, a Windsor woman who played a part in the drive-by shooting death of 14-year-old Diane Holland in the summer of 2005, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday.

The fatal shot was fired by Willie L. Waters Jr., a man said to have been the leader of a local gang. He was riding in the back seat of Davis' car and fired from the back window as Davis drove.

In a plea agreement, Davis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and malicious wounding. She was a key witness in Waters' trial in May, when he received an 87-year sentence for first-degree murder.

Holland was an innocent bystander, drinking a soft drink in front of a house on Hunter Street on the night of July 2 nearly three years ago, Circuit Court Judge Carl Eason Jr. said.

Waters was shooting into a crowd of young people, looking at a rival gang for revenge, prosecutors said. Holland was shot in the chest, and another teenager was injured.

Defense attorney David H. Moyer called Holland's death an "unfortunate and tragic situation." Davis had no previous record and would not have been involved if not for her relationship with Waters, Moyer said.

The judge told Davis that she was being held accountable for Holland's death. Davis, 24, will be on probation for 20 years after completing her prison sentence, the judge said.

Linda McNatt, (757) 222-5561, linda.mcnatt@pilotonline.com