- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Former codefendant in fatal shooting to serve four years in prison
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Thursday, a former codefendant in a fatal June 2011 shooting returned to court, where a judge finished determining how much time he will spend in state prison based on his plea agreement.
Kevin Ray Stone, 30, will spend a total of about four years in prison when presentence and post-sentence time credits are applied, said District Attorney Don Anderson.
Stone originally was charged along with Clearlake Oaks residents Orlando Joseph Lopez Jr., 24, and 22-year-old Paul William Braden of the June 18, 2011, shooting that killed 4-year-old Skyler Rapp; injured his mother, Desiree Kirby; her boyfriend, Ross Sparks; his brother, Andrew Sparks; Ian Griffith; and Joseph Armijo.
Stone reached a plea agreement to lesser charges and testified against Braden and Lopez during their joint trial.
Last week they were given multi-century prison sentences, with Braden receiving 312 years and Lopez 311 years, as Lake County News has reported.
On Tuesday Judge Stephen Hedstrom sentenced Stone to 10 years and four months in prison and a $2,000 restitution fine for his no contest plea to conspiracy to commit robbery, accessory to murder and possession of a .22-caliber rifle by a prohibited person.
However, Stone’s sentencing hearing was continued to Thursday after questions arose about how credits would be applied, with those complications arising due to new rules connected with state correctional realignment.
Anderson explained that Stone received credit for the 405 days in the Lake County Jail that he served before sentencing, plus another 202 days of credit.
Counting those credits and what he can expect to receive during his time in prison, Stone will spend a total of about four years in prison, according to Anderson.
Anderson said Stone will serve his time in state prison, not in the Lake County Jail, where some people who previously would have gone to state prison are now serving time in some cases because of realignment.
During the Tuesday hearing, when issues about the sentence credits came up – with some of them different than defense attorney Komnith Moth had understood them to be – Moth had suggested that one option was to withdraw Stone’s plea. But that didn’t happen on Thursday.
Considering the huge sentences that Braden and Lopez received, “He should be happy with what he got,” Anderson said of Stone.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .