Man gets 52 years for attack

Published 10:43 pm Thursday, April 23, 2009

A Suffolk man who broke into the home of an acquaintance with an AK-47 rifle and a knife will spend more than 50 years in jail for the crimes he committed that night, along with another seven years for two felony charges incurred during his arrest.

Anthony Lorenzo Boone had been charged with attempted murder for the May 2007 attack on Darryl Wilkins, who was 24 at the time. Prosecutors chose not to try Boone on that charge or on associated charges of using of a firearm during an attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Still, his convictions on six other felony counts associated with the attack, will put him behind bars for a total of 52 years.

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Ultimately, he was convicted of using a firearm in the commission of a felony; aggravated malicious wounding; statutory burglary while armed; maliciously discharging a firearm within a building; use of a firearm in the commission of a burglary; and shoot, stab, cut or wound.

Boone broke into Wilkins’ home on the night of May 29, 2007, and then entered the man’s bedroom with his weapons. The victim was stabbed in the hand and shot four times, and prosecutors said he eventually jumped out of a closed window in an effort to get away from his attacker.

Wilkins spent more than a month in Sentara Norfolk General Hospital recovering from the injuries, which have left him permanently disabled, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Sandwich said during the October trial.

Prosecutors said Boone had believed that Wilkins had stolen something from him, and he was trying to get it back when he entered the man’s home.

Wilkins did not originally identify his attacker, telling police that it was a masked man. In court in October, though, he said he had originally concealed Boone’s identity because he was afraid of retribution.

“I thought he was going to kill me,” Wilkins said on the witness stand. “I was scared … and I didn’t want him coming back. Everywhere I went, people told me he was looking for me.”

He finally told police Boone’s identity in September 2007. Boone was arrested in his car on his way to work several days later.

During that arrest, police found Boone to be in possession of a firearm and marijuana. He was subsequently charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Boone was tried on those two charges and found guilty in January. He was sentenced on Wednesday to five years on the weapons charge and two and a half years on the drug charge.