Centennial Hill shooter sentenced to 85 years

Darius Thomas, one of three men allegedly responsible for Montgomery nightclub shooting that claimed three lives, was sentenced to 85 years in prison Wednesday.

Thomas accepted a plea deal in December, pleading guilty to the murders of Kimberle Johnson, Timnarius Hamilton and local rapper Glenn "Doe B" Thomas, who had by then signed on to Atlanta-based rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records.

The shooting took place at Centennial Hill Bar and Grill on Dec. 28, 2013. The club had reopened in 2013 after several were injured in a December 2012 shooting at the same location, then operating as the Rose Supper Club. Thomas was the first of the three men arrested in connection to the shooting to stand trial. Trial dates for Jason McWilliams and Taboris Mock, the other two alleged shooters, have not been set. Both are out on bond.

Previously: Mothers of Centennial Hill shooting victims seek closure as trial set to begin

More: Centennial Hill shooter pleads guilty, apologizes to victims' mothers

At his trial in December, Thomas apologized to the mothers of Johnson, Hamilton and Doe B — Barbara Green, Torian Hamilton, and Shirley Thomas, respectively — after accepting the plea deal.

Green, Mrs. Hamilton and Mrs. Thomas said they accepted Thomas' apology, but the three also asked Montgomery County Circuit Judge Greg Griffin for the maximum sentence after four years of waiting for justice.

"It was a big weight off of my shoulders and me being able to forgive him," Mrs. Thomas said. She is not related to Darius Thomas.

Thomas was also wounded by gunfire in the shooting. Court documents say Thomas didn't have a prior criminal history, and letters written to Griffin from Thomas' family members say he fell in with the wrong crowd. Thomas' role in the shooting was sparked by a bottle being thrown at him, court documents say.

Thomas' family was also present at the trial and sentencing hearing.

Thomas, 29, has been in jail since he was arrested in January 2014. His fiancee, LaQuinta Stewart, now 26, was four months pregnant at the time and now has five children with Thomas, two of them step-children.

“He’s got a child he’s never touched before,” Stewart said.

Had Thomas not pleaded guilty, he most likely would have been sentenced to life without chance of parole, said Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey. Bailey said Thomas does have a chance at parole but does not expect to see Thomas released.

"I don't expect him to ever get out. Not with three murders. I expect he'll die in prison," Bailey said.