Detroit man gets 14 years in shooting

A Detroit man who admitted his role in a fatal shooting outside a Columbus South Side duplex was allowed to remain on the streets for five months while awaiting sentencing so he could deal with a medical condition that could cost him his right foot.

On Thursday, he wanted the Franklin County judge who granted the delay to give him even more time to heal.

But Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Brown decided that Jason J. Hicks’ case had dragged on long enough.

“I feel badly for you, but I can’t grant any more delays,” Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Brown said.

He sentenced Hicks to 14 years in prison, which had been recommended by prosecuting and defense attorneys as part of a plea agreement.

Hicks, 41, of Detroit’s East Side, pleaded guilty in February to involuntary manslaughter, kidnapping and two gun specifications in the Oct. 12, 2016, death of Anthony L. “Tone” Brown, 46. Prosecutors accused Hicks of luring Brown to the victim’s front door in the 400 block of East Markison Avenue, where he was ambushed by an accomplice, Anthony J. Robinson, 26, of Redford, Michigan, a Detroit suburb. Brown was shot once in the chest, then fled out his back door and was shot again.

A jury in October convicted Robinson of murder, but the jurors weren’t convinced that he was the one who fired the shots. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years. Hicks chose to plead guilty rather than take his case to trial.

Hicks’ attorneys were granted a sentencing delay after providing the judge with medical information that indicated their client might need a foot amputated before going to prison.