Family of murdered man, paralyzed mom get final say before Lantana gunman goes to prison
WEST PALM BEACH — Alisha McCarthy didn't know the young man who slid into the back seat of her car. Keitho Banks didn't know her either, or that she was pregnant, when he aimed his gun and pulled the trigger.
He killed Clayton Washington in the passenger seat first, then shot McCarthy through the neck and severed an artery. Two and a half years later, she watched from a wheelchair in the back of the courtroom as Banks pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder.
"I forgive you, but that doesn't mean that He will," McCarthy told him Thursday. She jerked her chin skyward. "You better pray. Pray. Just pray."
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Victim's family urged judge not to be lenient
Banks, 26, traded his guilty plea for a 20-year prison sentence on April 20, thanks to a deal negotiated by Assistant State Attorney Jo Wilensky and Assistant Public Defender Scott Pribble. Court records indicate Banks had a history of mental illness and "significant intellectual and developmental deficits" that precipitated the attack on Dec. 22, 2020.
Doctors debated his sanity in the year leading up to his plea, but it seemed of little interest to the victims' relatives Thursday. Banks and his family could say nothing as each took turns addressing Circuit Judge Cymonie Rowe.
"I don't know what he was going through, but it's not right," said Rebecca Figaroua, McCarthy's mother. "It's not right that he gets to walk around and breathe every day."
She pleaded with the judge to not be lenient and asked her to take every life into consideration — including the one inside her daughter's womb when Banks shot her in the neck. Figaroua spoke as though the penalty wasn't already decided, a printed copy of the plea agreement in the attorneys' and judge's hands.
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Witness: Gunman 'talking nonsense' before shooting
Banks' mother, Ebony Hall, watched the hearing over Zoom. Hall called a friend to her home on Dec. 22, 2020, because her son was "talking nonsense," she told a Lantana police officer. Banks, 24 at the time, had recently moved to Palm Beach County from Louisiana, and his behavior that morning frightened her.
Hall's friend heeded the call. He got a ride to the home with McCarthy, 23, and Washington, 22, who parked in the driveway and waited as their friend went inside. Christmas was three days away. Washington's 17-year-old sister, Katrina Dillard, had promised him a gift she said she knew he'd love.
Hall's friend confronted Banks inside the home, but Banks walked past him to the car in the driveway. He ignored the older man's pleas to hand over the gun and shot McCarthy and Washington instead.
McCarthy's arms and legs are paralyzed as a result of the shooting. She cried occasionally in the back row of the courtroom Thursday, and her baby did, too.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Victims' families get final say before Lantana gunman goes to prison
