A 21-year-old Mobile man already facing a state murder charge has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after being convicted of illegally possessing a firearm, according to court records.
Labeled an Armed Career Criminal
Deangelo Cartez Howard was designated an “armed career criminal” following his federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, a classification that made his 15-year sentence mandatory under federal law. Chief U.S. District Court Judge William H. Steele handed down the sentence on July 1.
According to Howard’s plea agreement, the case began on March 7, 2013, when he was staying at a female friend’s house on Mohawk Street in midtown Mobile. The woman discovered he had brought a bag of bullets into her home and called police. Officers arrived and arrested Howard on a series of outstanding warrants, including charges of murder, attempted murder and robbery. Members of the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, working with the woman’s help, searched the residence and recovered the bullets along with a .38-caliber pistol, evidence that formed the basis of the federal firearms charge.
Facing Separate Murder Charges
Beyond the federal case, Howard is scheduled to appear in Mobile County Circuit Court to be arraigned on the murder and related charges stemming from a January 24, 2013 shooting at Luscher Park on North Dog River Drive, where authorities say Howard shot and killed 22-year-old Bernard Hall. Two other individuals, 17-year-old Javonte Mitchell and 23-year-old Christopher Turner, have also been charged in connection with that killing.
Court records show Howard had two prior felony convictions for second-degree robbery, which qualified him for the armed career criminal designation once he was found with the firearm. He was on probation at the time of his arrest on the federal gun charge, a status that added to the legal jeopardy he now faces on multiple fronts.
The case illustrates how federal firearms charges can run on a separate track from state murder prosecutions, often resulting in mandatory prison time even before a murder case is resolved in state court. Howard’s federal sentence will proceed regardless of the outcome of his upcoming state court arraignment.