Man guilty in carjacking death of Alexa Stakely receives sentence

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A man who pleaded guilty in the carjacking death of a Canal Winchester educator received his sentence Thursday morning.

Gerald Dowling Jr., who nearly a month ago pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of 29-year-old Alexa Stakely, was sentenced to a minimum of seven years in prison.

That sentence, which could exceed 10 years, accounts for 380 days of jail-time credit, making it effectively a six-year sentence, with an unspecified judicial release date to be released in court documents. The sentence also includes a mandatory community control period of two-to-five years.

Dowling turned himself in after being implicated in the death of Stakely, who found at 1:30 a.m. on July 11, lying near the intersection of Blue Knoll Drive and Annual Drive, just north of Canal Winchester. Stakely was attempting to stop a carjacking in the southeast Columbus neighborhood of White Ash, where three suspects had entered her vehicle, which was parked at the White Oak Park Condominiums.

Police said Stakely initially arrived at the apartment complex to pick up her 6-year-old son, who was being watched by a resident. Stakely reportedly placed her sleeping child in the back seat, then returned to the apartment to collect his belongings.

That’s when, police reported, Dowling, along with two 16-year-old boys, jumped in the car and drove off. Stakely ran after the car, screaming for her child, before being struck and thrown to the ground. The result was a fatal head wound, and she was pronounced dead at 8:43 a.m.

Dowling, now 20, and the two teenagers, surrendered two weeks later. The two teens were charged with murder and are slated to be tried as adults. The boys were originally charged with murder alongside Dowling, who was assigned a $10 million bond in June 2024.

After initially pleading not guilty in common pleas court, Dowling changed his plea in July with a maximum possible sentence of up to 16.5 years in prison. Charges of theft and receiving stolen property were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

During Thursday's sentencing hearing the prosecution made it clear that while Dowling was not physically in the car when the carjacking occurred, Stakely's child was not in fact asleep during the incident and has suffered emotional trauma, creating a second alleged victim from the incident, and asked for an "appropriate" prison sentence.

Defense council reiterated that Dowling was not directly involved and acknowledged the state's leniency with the charges filed in asking for a sentence that allowed him to return to society sooner than later. Judge Chris Brown retorted that Dowling did not come forward until implicated by a co-defendant, however, considered factors such as a lack of criminal history.

Dowling, in a prepared statement, apologized to the family and thanked his family and attorney for their support. He was offered forgiveness by Stakely's brother and support from a family friend and mentor during pre-sentencing statements.

Stakely was a speech pathologist for preschool students in Canal Winchester schools and, as a single mother, also worked a second job as a restaurant server and had just finished her shift before the carjacking.