Robert GrahamA Dallas man who provided a gun used in the robbery and murder of a Waco man whose body was found in a creek near Baylor University in January 2023 was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday.
Alijah Veshawn Benson, 21, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery during a hearing in 19th State District Court in which he confessed to his role in the incident and implicated his two co-defendants.
Brandon Xavier Stephens, 20, and James Keylan Willis, 20, both of Waco, are indicted on capital murder charges in the shooting death of Stanley Wilcox, 59, who was reported missing Dec. 29, 2022.
Stephens and Willis have trial dates set for October.
Wilcox’s body was found in a creek bed in the 1100 block of South Ninth Street on the edge of Baylor’s campus.
Benson testified Thursday he gave the gun to Stephens and Willis at a McDonald’s in Dallas on Dec. 22, 2022. He said he knew they were planning a robbery when he gave them the gun.
He said he never left Dallas, but testified the gun was loaded when he gave it to the pair but said it was unloaded when they brought it back to him the next day. He said he knew then that someone had been shot.