GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. —
A judge sentenced Vincentea Mansfield to life in prison without the possibility of parole Wednesday for the 2023 murder of Edward Antoine Kennedy.
Kennedy was found shot in April 2023 in the 400 block of Worden Street SE in Grand Rapids.
Law enforcement responded and found Kennedy inside a home. Despite life-saving measures, he died from his gunshot wounds.
A Kent County judge sentenced Mansfield to life in prison for homicide-open murder. He will serve six to 20 years concurrently for possessing weapons as a felon. Before he serves those, he will serve two years each for weapons felony firearm offense.
“My hope is that someday, during that time you’re reflecting on this, can come up with the courage to do the right thing and to beg his family for forgiveness,” Judge J. Joseph Rossi said. “And that's not today, and they may not be ready to hear that today, but I'll tell you, this was a young man that didn't need to die, and he definitely didn't need to die in the way that you killed him.”
In sentencing and trial, Mansfield and his attorney maintained that the shooting was in self-defense, something the jury, and Rossi, disagreed with.
“As I heard that testimony in court. I thought, ‘How in the heck does that equal self-defense?’ I challenge you to think about that a little bit, because you got some 'splainin’ to do if you know that's the case that you don't think you shot him in the back. But the facts look different from where I sat, and I also think they look that way, where the jury you're welcome to argue that on appeal. But I also know bullets go in and out, and it said left rear shoulder was the entry wound,” Rossi said. “You can't make a real good claim of self-defense when you shoot someone in the back.”
In his sentencing, the judge said that Mansfield “never told the truth” about the events the night of the homicide, which played in to the jury not "buying [Mansfield’s] argument that [Kennedy] had a gun, and that [Mansfield’s] life was in danger.”
Mansfield interrupted Rossi multiple times during the sentencing to explain his actions, which Rossi told him to “tell it to the Court of Appeals and see if they buy it.”
During the arrest, Mansfield also had an outstanding warrant for a probation violation from an unrelated incident. Judge Rossi was also the judge in that case, which he has regrets about.
Rossi explained that last year, Mansfield was healing from a gunshot wound in his leg. Because of that, the judge granted Mansfield’s request of a delayed jail report date, during which he killed Kennedy.
“I have to bear part responsibility for [the murder] too, because I let you out in the street,” Rossi said.
Mansfield does receive some jail credit that applies to the possession of a firearm by a felon and owes money for fees and costs. He will serve time for his probation violation concurrent to his life sentence.
Mansfield went to trial last month and rejected a plea deal in September.
Kennedy’s mother and aunt spoke in court, saying that this sentence will bring peace to their family.
“The first thing I would like to say is I forgive him for what he did, but I don't want him to get it twisted,” said Gail Black, Kennedy’s aunt. “The forgiveness is not for him, it's for me, so that I won't have to think about shoving my fist down his throat and pulling his heart out to his mouth.”
Kennedy’s mom, Barbara Black, cried as she spoke to the judge.
“I just want to say he took the well-loved man off this earth,” she said. “He took my son from his three children. And the reason he done it was so dumb, and I'm so grateful to God, whatever the sentence is, he deserves every bit of it.”
After the sentence was read, Kennedy’s family clapped and cried in the gallery. The family said the sentence was what they needed to hear.
“Mansfield deserved what he got, life without the possibility of parole. And I tell you, prayer works, because I've been praying for this for a long time that that's what he got, and that's exactly what happened,” Gail Black said. “So I'm grateful.”
She said she doesn’t believe the self-defense argument, either.
“Toine didn't deserve that. I mean, he wasn't a prince or the best you know, but he didn't deserve that,” Gail Black said. “I've never heard Toine saying about killing anybody or hurting anybody.”
You can find the full sentencing and family reaction on our 13+ app, which is available on Roku and Fire TV, as well as iOS and Android mobile devices. You can also watch on our YouTube page here.