Man gets 36 years to life for 2012 murder

A second person convicted in the May 2012 murder of Robert Munday was sentenced Thursday to 36 years to life in prison, including 24 mandatory years.

Mitchell D. Gray, 22, was found guilty in January by a Montgomery County Common Pleas Court jury. Judge Dennis Langer imposed the sentence after Gray was convicted of murder, aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery and other counts in an unrelated case. Gray, who was given 712 days of jail-time credit, was led off by Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies.

Munday, 34, was shot May 21, 2012 in the backyard of a home on Genesee Avenue in what police have described as a robbery attempt. Munday was the father of three children. His oldest sister, Teyawna Mason, said she can not yet forgive Gray. She brought a picture of Munday’s children to show Gray.

“My brother was a good father,” Mason said. “I’m glad (Gray) is off the street. Because he’s been nothing but a menace to society. OK. Obviously he doesn’t care. Just the tears … now we have some kind of closure.”

Langer recounted Gray’s juvenile and adult criminal records and then read portions of letters written by Munday’s children, quoting one as saying, “I want my daddy back.”

Co-defendant Linda Rocia Kay, 24, was sentenced in January 2013 to life in prison after she was convicted of murder and other charges in Munday’s slaying. Kay is appealing her conviction.

“It’s unclear as to who the shooter was, whether it was you or Linda Kay,” Langer told Gray. “But as clear as the evidence developed in your trial is that you were an aider and abettor, at least, in the commission of the murder of Robert Munday II. And your behavior after the murder, after the shooting, is particularly egregious.”

Gray declined to speak on his own behalf.

Montgomery County assistant prosecutor Robert Deschler said Gray could have faced 40 years to life just for the murder case. “Two defendants, both of them denied their involvement,” Deschler said. “We’re very happy with the outcome from the juries.

“We can’t prosecute these cases without witnesses. We can’t prosecute without the police investigation and in both cases the police did an outstanding job of investigating the matter.”

On the night of the shooting, neighbors told police they heard yelling and gunfire. Police said Munday had just returned his children to their mother after having them for the weekend. Gray was wounded in the exchange of gunfire and treated at a hospital before he was taken into custody on unrelated warrants.

“People that we didn’t even know who came forward and testified on my brother’s behalf, thank you,” Mason said. “Without them, where would we be… . It takes courage.”

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