Crime & Safety
Man Convicted of Burning Body in Manassas Parking Lot
The body of Antonio Bailey was burned in a parking lot in Old Town Manassas last fall.
A man faces five years in prison after he was convicted of burning a body in a Manassas parking lot.
Gerry Lee Sword entered an Alford plea for the charge of concealing a dead body in Prince William County Circuit Court Monday. The plea means that he maintains his innocence, but pleads guilty.
Gerry Lee Sword and his brother, Richard Dale Sword, were charged last fall with the murder of Antonio Bailey. The charges were dropped to concealing a dead body after the Medical Examiner found that Bailey died of an overdose.
Surveillance footage showed the brothers putting Bailey into Richard Sword's van, according to court records. Investigators said the video showed Richard Sword driving the van to the parking lot on Church Street, taking Bailey out of the vehicle, and setting him on fire.
Richard Sword has already pleaded guilty to the same offense and is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 15. Gerry Lee Sword will be sentenced on Dec. 12.
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