Judge Modifies Defendant’s Sentence

By Baltimore Witness Staff - October 7, 2021
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A judge modified a sentence for a woman convicted of attempted murder.

Sirlilar Stokes was convicted of attempted first-degree murder and handgun use while committing a crime in 2009. She was sentenced to Life suspending all but 50 years for the murder charge and five years for the handgun charge. The sentences are concurrent to any other conviction she received.

During a Zoom Collateral hearing Oct. 7, 33-year-old Stokes’ defense attorney Gabriel Ellenberger requested that Stokes sentence be reduced to Life suspending all but 48 years and six months.

The new sentences effectively reduces the sentence she received for the attempted murder charge, but leaves the sentence she received for the handgun charge unchanged.

She will also be required to serve three years on supervised release.

During her note to Judge Cynthia Jones, Stokes said that she believes that she can still change for the better, even after spending 14.5 years in prison. She also credited prison with saving her life.

“I know I did horrible things in the past that I’m not proud of, and will never be,” she said. She said she is trying to be the total opposite of what she was.

According to the Maryland Judiciary’s Case Search, Stokes prior record shows a marijuana possession offense in 2007.

Judge Jones said she can “only conclude you are not defined by the conviction. You are somebody else. Nothing in record would leave [anyone] to believe that you are serving time for [this] offense.”

Judge Jones encouraged her to stay with her commitment to make significant improvements.