36 and 83 years recommended in I-64 shootout

CHESAPEAKE

Tione Vincent's two children lost a father.

Police Officer Sean Fleming nearly lost his life.

On Tuesday, a jury found Willie Simmons and Dedrion Short must pay for those losses.

The panel recommended a 36-year sentence for Simmons and an 83-year term for Short for their roles in the June kidnapping, murder and rush-hour shootout with police.

The men had faced maximum sentences of life in prison. Short, 32, could spend the rest of his life behind bars. A judge is scheduled to formally sentence the men in June.

The jury found Short guilty of six felonies: first-degree murder, abduction for financial benefit, malicious wounding of a police officer and three weapons charges. They found Simmons, 21, guilty on four counts: first-degree murder, abduction and two weapons offenses. Simmons was acquitted of malicious wounding of Fleming and a third weapons charge.

Outside the courthouse, Fleming said he had expected a lighter sentence and was "pleased with the outcome." Vincent's widow, Ivy, also said she was happy with the jury's decision.

Eight witnesses took the stand Tuesday morning during the trial's sentencing phase. Some left jurors in tears.

Ivy Vincent said her husband lived his entire life in Norfolk's Berkley neighborhood, where he was picked up at gunpoint on June 1. Short, Simmons and Christopher "C.C." White rode with Vincent in a van until the vehicle crashed into the guardrail of a ramp to Interstate 64 at George Washington Highway.

Tione Vincent, 29, was found shot to death in the back seat after the three men fled.

Ivy Vincent said her husband was a great friend, cousin and father. She stopped several times to cry and sob. "The entire community feels the void," she said.

Fleming told jurors he didn't have time for fear when he saw White level an AK-47 at his Jeep. "As soon as I saw the rifle turn toward me, there was no time for thought," he said. Trapped in his vehicle, Fleming fired back through his windshield.

He looked down and saw blood everywhere. "My arm was covered. The grip of my gun was covered," he said. "The floorboard of my Jeep was covered."

He spent nearly a week in the hospital recovering from five gunshot wounds. Doctors removed 6 inches of his small intestine, which left a foot-long scar on his stomach.

The mothers of Short and Simmons spoke on their behalf. Both said their sons were active in sports and their communities growing up.

Simmons' attorney, A. Robinson Winn, asked for mercy. "We're not making any excuses today. He was dead wrong," Winn said.

But, he said, "there's still a whole lot of life for Willie Simmons."

But prosecutor Kerry Roberts reminded the jury that Simmons and Short were no longer boys. They were men, she said, responsible for choices they made on June 1.

Roberts asked the jury to consider the maximum punishment: "They chose their actions, and they should suffer their consequences."

The trial lasted nine days, taking in scores of witnesses, exhibits and emotional testimony. Three witnesses misidentified the defendants. One complained that Short was flashing gang signs from the defense table. Short took the stand in his own defense, contending that he had been forced into the scheme.

The jury deliberated for two final hours before reaching a verdict on the sentences.

Families and friends of both victims and defendants quietly left the courtroom after the verdict.

On the courthouse steps, Fleming said he was glad the trial was over. He sat through several days of testimony, reliving the chase and shootout that almost took his life.

But, he added, that was not new to him: "I have daily reminders of it."

Louis Hansen, (757) 222-5221, louis.hansen@pilotonline.com