Larry Gilbert White, 62, a Black male from Augusta, was killed on July 28, 2018, in a shooting on Parkway Drive that unfolded in the same neighborhood where he and the accused had lived for years. Reports said deputies were called shortly after midnight to the 2500 block of Parkway Drive and found White outside, unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, and the case quickly took on the feel of a deeply personal tragedy rather than a random act of violence. White’s death rippled through a community that knew him well, and his obituary later placed his funeral at Hosannah Baptist Church in Augusta, reflecting the family and neighborhood ties left behind by the killing.
Authorities identified Lakeesha Stokes as the suspect, and she was taken into custody at the scene. Early coverage described her as a neighbor who lived two doors down from White, and later reporting said the two had previously dated, giving the case the shape of a domestic dispute that turned fatal. At the time of the arrest, she was accused of murder and weapon possession. The case moved through the courts over the next several years, and in April 2022 a Richmond County jury found Stokes guilty in White’s death. Coverage of the verdict said she was convicted of felony murder, voluntary manslaughter, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. She was then sentenced to 25 years in prison, with local reporting and statements attributed to the district attorney describing the shooting as an act of domestic rage. No other suspects or arrests were reported in the sources located.
