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WEDNESDAYS • April 29, 2015
Richmond & Hampton Roads
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Hampton Roads teenager battling rare cancer
The American Red Cross is hosting a blood drive in honor of Jaylin Stukes, a 13-yearold Chesapeake teenager who is battling osteosarcoma, a form of cancer that begins in a patient’s bones. Jaylin’s osteosarcoma has localized in his leg which has required a lifesaving blood transfusion. Jaylin and his family learned of his condition in the winter when he experienced pain in his leg. After undergoing several tests at the hospital, Jaylin Stukes the doctors shared the news. Jaylin has made several trips to Richmond where the nearest specialist for his form of cancer is. “Jaylin is a 13-year-old that has a zest for life. He has been stricken with cancer like so many young kids at CHKD
(Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters),” said Elva Stukes, Jaylin’s grandmother. Jaylin’s Journey “We feel Jaylin is on a journey with them all; having that one Against Cancer thing in common, the need for Blood Drive blood transfusions that will Wednesday, May 6 benefit all kids as needed.” Many people who suffer from 2 to 7 p.m. cancer or leukemia will need Greenbrier Mall blood, sometimes daily, during 1401 Greenbrier their chemotherapy treatment. Pkwy, Chesapeake It is important to keep the blood supplies well stocked for patients. “Jaylin is just one of the many people in our community who needs blood,” said Page Gambill, CEO of the American Red Cross Mid-Atlantic and Appalachian Blood Services Regions. “I am in awe of his courage and strength. I hope locals within the community will come out and donate blood in his honor.”
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Second gang member convited on 2008 double murder Jury recommends a sentence of 83 years Floyd Taybron, a member of the “36 Street Bang Squad Bloods,” has been convicted of two counts of first degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, use of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, and felony gang participation. The total sentence recommended by the jury is 83 years. Formal sentencing will take place on July 24. On Dec. 30, 2008, Taybron and others gunned down Barry Eugene Richardson, 16, and Keon Flemming, 15, as they walked by Huntington Middle School in Newport News.
Taybron and his accomplices suspected the victims were members of a rival gang trespassing on their territory simply because of the neighborhood where the teen victims lived. Attorney General Herring's prosecutors previously secured convictions and a double life sentence for Marcus Williams, the enforcer for the 36 Street Bang Squad Bloods, for his role in the double murder. “Gang activity is among the most toxic crimes for our communities especially when it results in the death of innocent children,” said
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring. “I applaud all of the investigators and prosecutors who worked tirelessly to bring justice for the families of these children who lost their lives to this senseless crime. No child should fear for their life walking down the street in their neighborhood and the Commonwealth is grateful to those who helped make these convictions possible, and work every day to make their communities safer.” Taybron was indicted by the Peninsula Multi-Jurisdiction Grand Jury following a complex, investigation led by Phil Figura,
Chief Prosecutor with the Major Crimes and Emerging Threat Unit in Attorney General Herring's office. Howard Gwynn, Newport News commonwealth’s attorney played a pivotal role in establishing the collaboration necessary to form the Multi-Jurisdiction Grand Jury. This collaboration helped break the code of silence that spreads violence within the gang world and led to a successful conviction. The final defendant in this doublehomicide has yet to go to trial and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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