Hartford Man Found Guilty of Gang-Related Murder

NEW HAVEN, CT — A Hartford man was convicted Monday by a federal jury in New Haven of killing a Windsor man in a gang-related slaying more than five years ago.

At the conclusion of a two-week trial, Arthur "Wiggs" Stanley, 27, was found guilty of murdering Keith Washington, 23, by shooting him in the head on July 15, 2011. Washington died two days later.

According to a report from U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly and Chief State’s Attorney Kevin T. Kane, at approximately 9:28 p.m. on July 15, 2011, the Hartford Police Department received a report of shots fired in the vicinity of 67 Oakland Terrace. Officers responding to the scene located an unconscious person lying on the front porch of the residence with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. The victim, who was subsequently identified as Washington, was transported to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on July 17, 2011.

According to the trial evidence and testimony, Stanley, a member of the Westhell street gang, attempted to shoot and kill a member of a rival street gang who was talking with Washington on the front porch of 67 Oakland Terrace, but missed his intended target and shot Washington instead, Daly said.

Stanley has been detained in federal custody since April 2014, when he was arrested on federal narcotics charges. On Oct. 27, 2015, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Stanley with engaging in a violent crime in aid of racketeering, Daly said.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer scheduled sentencing for March 14, 2017, at which time Stanley faces a mandatory term of life imprisonment. He had previously pleaded guilty to a crack cocaine conspiracy charge, and also will be sentenced for that offense, Daly said.

This matter stems from a joint law enforcement investigation headed by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force into narcotics trafficking by members and associates of the Westhell and Team Grease street gangs and gang-related violent activity. Officers and inspectors of the Cold Case Homicide Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney are participating in the investigation, according to Daly.

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