A former D.C. police officer was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a robbery of an alleged drug dealer that resulted in the murder of one of the conspirators.
Reginald Levester Jones, 43, pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court to charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree murder.
As part of the plea agreement, Jones agreed to coooperate with the government against his longtime friend and co-defendant, Raylen Wilkerson, 35. However, the government did not use his testimony because they doubted his veracity.
Prosecutors said Jones, Wilkerson and four other men plotted to rob a man on Dec. 1, 2009, in the 4300 block of Fourth Street SE. Jones, who was on duty, used his marked cruiser to clear the area and act as a lookout with Wilkerson in the front seat.
During the robber, the victim fought back and was shot and wounded by Arvel Crawford. But Crawford also shot and killed his own father and fellow conspirator, Arvel Alston. 40.
When the robbery went awry, Jones and Wilkerson fled the scene in the squad car, ignoring citizen pleas for help.
