A former Metrobus driver who was arrested while on duty was sentenced Friday to more than 22 years in prison on federal charges related to the 2010 slaying of a handyman at a Centreville home.
Stacey Lorenzo Reed, 44, of Manassas, pleaded guilty earlier this year to serving as the driver in a planned robbery at the upscale home of an owner of several check-cashing businesses in May 2010.
On the day of the planned robbery, two other men entered the house and encountered handyman Jose Cardona, who died of a gunshot wound while defending the home with the homeowner's son.
Authorities believe Reed helped plan the crime.
Reed was sentenced Friday to 270 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit robbery, and aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm during or in relation to a crime of violence, authorities said.
"Mr. Reed, while not physically present at the murder, put this tragic and terrifying sequence of events in motion," U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride said in a release. "He will now have over 20 years in federal prison to contemplate his greed fueled involvement in the crime."
Cardona's death went unsolved for more than a year.
Reed was a Metro employee between Aug. 19, 2012 and his Dec. 12 arrest, when he was taken into custody by U.S. marshals at the Pentagon bus area on an outstanding federal warrant.
Later that day, Metro said in a statement that Reed had been "relieved of duty."
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
In a previous interview, the homeowner called the victim heroic. "He was a very selfless person," the homeowner said. "What he did that day, I don't imagine there's many people in the world that would sacrifice themselves like that for a fellow human being."
The other two men linked to the case -- Tasheik Champean of Suitland, Md., and Reynard Prather of Oxon Hill, Md. -- were each sentenced to 30 years in prison.
ALSO SEE:
