Man sentenced to life in prison for 2020 murder in Columbia
BALTIMORE - A Howard County judge sentenced 31-year-old Jerome Tyrell Thomas to life in prison without parole for the 2020 murder of Anthony Tayvon McNeil.
Along with his first-degree murder sentencing, Thomas was sentenced to an additional 10 years for firearm-related charges.
He was found guilty by a jury in June.
Officers responded to reports of a fight among several people with shots fired after midnight on May 1, 2020, at the intersection of Governor Warfield Parkway and Twin Rivers Road in Columbia.
McNeil was located in a nearby parking lot suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital where he died.
Police believe the shooting started with an argument earlier in the evening between acquaintances of Thomas and McNeil.
Through investigation, detectives collected surveillance footage in the area and found Thomas to be a suspect.
Police said Thomas took off to North Carolina but was eventually taken into custody at a motel in Annapolis on May 15, 2020.
"The loss of Anthony McNeil's life was tragic and unnecessary. The defendant, Jerome Thomas, had a prior criminal record and did not learn from his past mistakes. Instead, he chose to commit one of the worst crimes a person can commit upon another by violently taking the life of McNeil," said Howard County State's Attorney Rich Gibson. "We agree with the judge's sentence today and hope it will bring some measure of closure for the victim's family."
In a separate case, Thomas was also sentenced to six months consecutive for an assault on a correctional officer while being held in jail pending this case.
