Daniel Dewayne Aikens maintained his innocence in three bombings in Monroe and Alexandria before being convicted on Tuesday, but then switched to referring to himself as “the accused” when he said he never intended to harm anyone.
U.S. District Judge Dee Drell sentenced Aikens to 16 years in prison for the late 2019 and early 2020 bombings that kept Alexandria in suspense for days as law enforcement officials tried to track him down.
He was convicted by a federal jury on all eight counts he faced — three counts of manufacturing a destructive device, three counts of possession of a destructive device in violation of the National Firearms Act, one count of using an explosive to Committing a federal crime and a count of transmitting malicious false information.
Daniel Dewayne Aikens was sentenced Tuesday to 16 years in federal prison for three bombings in late 2019 and early 2020 in Monroe and Alexandria, including on the now-closed PayDay Today.
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The government had asked Drell to sentence Aikens to a minimum of 26 years and a maximum of 29.5 years in prison. But Drell said he would not go beyond federal sentencing guidelines by sending the former teacher to prison.
He asked Assistant US Attorney Jamilla Bynog if Aikens had been “undercharged” in the case. Bynog said she researched the statutes when deciding what charges to bring, and many did not fit the circumstances of the three bombings.
“I haven’t stopped being a good citizen,” Aikens said in a statement ahead of the sentencing. He listed some of his accomplishments, including as an instructor and officer in the Louisiana National Guard.
He also denied that he ever put his children in danger, but Bynog told Drell that an explosion at Aiken’s house, destroying his stove and damaging his kitchen, took place while his children were inside.
kitchen destroyed:ATF agent describes ‘explosion scene’ at home during Daniel Aikens’ trial for Alexandria bombing
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She said the evidence and testimony at the trial showed “how intent Mr. Aikens was on carrying out his terrible mission.”
The bombings required a lot of planning, and all three bombings threatened lives, she said.
John Matthew, the victim of the September 12, 2019 Monroe bombing, was not in court, but he did send a letter for inclusion in the record. Matthew was burned in the face and arms when a rigged pressure cooker exploded in a trash can outside his Cloyd’s Beauty School.
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The story goes on
He and a student had dumped boxes in the trash. The device exploded seconds after seeing it in the trash can, he testified.
The victim of the Jan. 2, 2020 blast at the now-closed PayDay Today store on MacArthur Drive in Alexandria testified how the experience changed her. She said it made her paranoid and she’s always observing her surroundings.
Woman:The man who detonated the bomb knew my name, address and details of 3 children
Since the blast, she has been diagnosed and treated for depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, she said.
“I’m not going anywhere now,” she said.
The woman was the only clerk in the loan business and answered a call from Aikens, who pretended to be looking for his grandmother’s lost keys. As he spoke to the woman, a device he had left outside exploded.
Aikens then told her he set off the bomb and threatened her and her children if she didn’t get him $10,000 from a bank.
“His whole voice changed the minute the bomb went off,” she testified at the trial.
The other bombing occurred on December 20, 2019 at a supermarket on Jackson Street in Alexandria. Nobody was injured in this incident.
Drell sentenced Aikens to six years each for seven of the convictions, all to be served simultaneously. But one case, using an explosive to commit a federal crime, has a mandatory 10-year sentence to be served after serving his six years.
Aikens was fined $20,000 and given three years of supervised probation. Drell said the sentence he was handed down Tuesday is not intended to be imposed at the same time as any other sentence that could be handed out to him.
Aikens is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Keelien Darquis Lewis, 29, on December 31, 2017 in Grant Parish.
Grant Parish Sheriff Steven McCain said in August 2020 it was the federal investigation into the bombings that gave them what they needed to get a warrant for Aikens’ arrest in connection with Lewis’ death. Aikens became an interesting figure in the investigation just days after Lewis’ death, he said.
Lewis was employed by Aikens in his lawn care business and was found dead at his home in Dry Prong.
Lewis’ mother, Lakishama Lewis, was in court on Tuesday to see Aikens’ sentencing. The earliest possible trial date in this case could be as early as October or even sometime in 2024, said Grant Parish District Attorney Jay Lemoine.
This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Daniel Aikens sentenced to 16 years for Alexandria bombings, Monroe
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