SPOKANE, Wash. — has been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.
According to a news release from the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office, on Thursday, Elijiah Harvey, 32, was sentenced to 32 years in prison for killing Carlos Thomas, 42, as Thomas sat in his parked car outside the Parkview Apartments at 1413 East 7th Avenue on Dec. 31, 2022.
Prosecutors said Harvey and Thomas were acquaintances. Thomas was parked outside the apartments in the early morning hours when a car carrying Harvey and at least one other person pulled up next to him. The men exchanged words before Harvey got out, circled Thomas’ car and fired into it, hitting Thomas twice.
Court documents show Harvey was arrested in December 2023 for Thomas’ murder, along with Takao Bay, 27, who was charged as an accomplice. Bay pleaded guilty to first-degree rendering criminal assistance and was sentenced last week to nearly three years in jail. Prosecutors identified Bay as the driver of the car.
During the weeklong trial, no motive was established for the killing, according to prosecutors. A jury found Harvey guilty of one count of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
At sentencing, a judge ordered Harvey to serve 388 months (32 years) in prison, followed by 36 months (3 years) of community custody.
