Steven Staples, the Charlotte man already convicted for the 2019 murder of Brooks’ Sandwich House co-owner Scott Brooks, pleaded guilty on Friday to the murders of three additional victims. Staples entered guilty pleas for second-degree murder in the deaths of Anthony Leaks, Asa Shannon, and Siojvon Joseph.
The Murders
The murders occurred between December 2019 and January 2020. Shannon and Joseph were both killed in January 2020 on Atando Avenue, while Leaks was killed in northwest Charlotte a month earlier. Court documents revealed that Staples committed these crimes over a span of about a month and a half.
Sentencing and Existing Convictions
For these three murders, Staples was sentenced to 264 to 329 months, which will run concurrently with his life sentence for the murder of Scott Brooks and an additional sentence of up to 34 years for the death of a Hickory man.
Despite the horrific crimes, Robert Horne, Leaks’ brother, expressed forgiveness for Staples after the hearing. “Spiritually, it’s the right thing to do,” Horne said, reflecting on his decision to forgive Staples, citing the guidance of his bishop that “you must forgive to be forgiven.”
Closure for Families
The plea also included several charges related to kidnapping and burglary. Horne noted that while some aspects of the case didn’t fully make sense, especially with two unnamed individuals involved, the convictions provided a sense of closure for the families affected by these tragedies.
Staples had already been convicted alongside co-defendant Terry Conner Jr. for the murder of Scott Brooks, which took place while Brooks was opening the popular eatery early one morning.
