A 27-year-old felon found guilty of a weapons charge related to the kidnapping case of 13-year-old Shavon Randle is headed to federal prison for 18 years.
A judge sentenced Darius Fields Friday afternoon, saying she believed Fields was involved in the girl's disappearance but did not order her murder.
Fields faced up to 25 years behind bars.
According to federal court documents, Fields faced a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. After a short deliberation, a jury found Fields guilty.
Testimony in Fields' sentencing began April 22 in Chief District Judge Barbara Lynn's courtroom. Lynn told the court she would review documents she had not had a chance to examine and would later rule on Fields' sentence. Fields was expected back in court on Thursday, May 16, according to one of his lawyers. The sentencing date was then reset to Friday after a request made by the defense.
"We can never heal this family's wound, but we hope the knowledge that Mr. Fields will spend 18 years behind bars brings Ms. Randle's loved ones some measure of relief," said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox. "Thankfully, federal law gives Judges discretion to adjust a defendant's sentence based on all the relevant circumstances of the crime and the defendant's criminal history, provided the sentence remains within the statutory range for the crime of conviction. In this case, as in all cases, we wanted the judge to have all the pertinent facts – including the full extent of defendants' involvement in the kidnapping of an innocent 13-year-old. It would be irresponsible for us not to provide the Court with such evidence."
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Fields is one of six people arrested in connection with the July 2017 death of Shavon Randle. None have been charged with murder.
Law enforcement said Randle was kidnapped after a distant relative's boyfriend allegedly stole drugs from Fields. Randle's body was found in an abandoned home in Dallas four days after she was kidnapped from her home in Lancaster.
According to the federal affidavit, federal investigators tracked Fields to an Irving hotel room using cell phone records.
Officers entered the room after they smelled marijuana and obtained a search warrant after they noticed ammunition on the table in plain view. They then found keys to a car Fields was driving, which was parked outside of the hotel room. Inside the car, detectives said they found an AK-47 pistol.
On the second day of testimony, Lynn heard from an FBI agent about tracking Fields' cell phone activity.
The defense called Laporshya Polley, Fields' girlfriend, to the stand to testify that Fields was not responsible for the kidnapping and murder because he was with her at the time.
Polley is currently serving prison time on other weapons convictions. During cross examination, Polley frequently struggled to recall key details.
The defense also called Fields' aunt to the stand. She testified Fields was not the person the prosecution presented him to be.
Randle's mother, Shaquana Presley, was in court throughout Fields' sentencing phase.
She listened as prosecutors offered evidence related to Randle's murder and kidnapping.
"Every time we have to revisit stuff like this, it's basically taking me and my whole family back to day one," Presley said. "Like she just got kidnapped all over again, or we're looking for the people responsible, or you're just waiting on a phone call."
Presley said she wanted the judge to give Fields the maximum enhanced sentence of 25 years.
"I want him to get the max, I want him to get what he deserves, I want him to sit there and suffer everyday of that 25 years that I'm hoping that he gets," Presley said.
NBC 5's Diana Zoga contributed to this report.
