A man who wounded his child’s mother so badly she has life-changing injuries and a near inability to speak was sentenced Thursday to 23 years in prison.
Video played during Collins Agyei’s trial in Fairfax County showed him confronting the 25-year-old mother at her home in the Mount Vernon area. The video she was able to record on her cellphone played a key role in the case.
Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now.
WATCH HERESecurity camera video showed Agyei firing multiple shots as the woman lay bleeding on a patio.
She got a protective order against him days earlier and had just dropped off their son, who's now 7, at his bus stop.
We have the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily.
SIGN UP Police found the victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. As officers jumped into action to treat her injuries, they asked her what happened.
In police body camera video, she can be heard whispering as an officer asks, “Your son’s father shot you?”
She was able to whisper the name “Collins,” prosecutors said.
Prosecutor Jenn Reinkober argued for the 23 years recommended by the jury, telling the judge the victim can no longer independently care for her son. Her brother is her part-time caregiver, along with home health aides.
“Her life and the life of her son and the life of her brother were irrevocably changed by the violent actions of the defendant. The defendant has not shown one iota of remorse and cannot be rehabilitated,” Reinkober said.
She pushed back on the defense’s request for a lighter sentence.
“The defense argues he is a good father who loves his son. A good father does not try to kill his son’s mother,” Reinkober said.
The woman was so badly injured and her recovery has been so extensive that she was unable to testify at the trial. She was able to be in court for the first time on Thursday, watching while sitting in a wheelchair.
At a court hearing last year, her brother said the crime left his sister with severe stomach injuries, frequent hospitalizations and a tracheotomy tube.
Jurors recommended a 23-year sentence after finding Agyei guilty of malicious wounding and a firearms charge. Due to a mistake by prosecutors early in the trial, a more serious charge – aggravated malicious wounding — was dropped by the judge. It could have carried up to a life term.
Agyei’s defense attorney pointed out in court Thursday that the top of the sentencing guidelines call for just a 13-year sentence. But the judge imposed the full 23 years, citing the lifelong impact of the victim’s injuries.
News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.
