Arthur Stanley ‘Wiggs’ Guilty in 2011 Gang Murder

A Hartford man has been convicted of a cold-blooded, gang-driven murder that left a 23-year-old man dead on a front porch in 2011. Arthur Stanley, also known as “Wiggs,” 27, was found guilty by a federal jury in New Haven after a trial that laid bare the brutal realities of street gang warfare in Connecticut’s capital city.

The verdict, delivered today after a trial that began December 5 before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, stems from the fatal shooting of Keith Washington, 23, of Windsor. At approximately 9:28 p.m. on July 15, 2011, Hartford police responded to reports of gunfire at 67 Oakland Terrace. They found Washington unconscious on the porch, shot in the head. He died two days later at the hospital.

According to trial evidence, Stanley — a documented member of the Westhell street gang — opened fire intending to kill a rival gang member who was speaking with Washington. He missed his target. Instead, a single bullet struck Washington, killing him in a case of deadly misfire and reckless intent. Prosecutors argued the act was part of a broader pattern of violent crime in aid of racketeering.

The investigation was led by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, with critical support from the Cold Case Homicide Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney. The probe targeted narcotics trafficking and violent acts tied to the Westhell and Team Grease street gangs — networks long entrenched in Hartford’s cycle of violence.

Stanley has been locked up in federal custody since April 2014, when he was first arrested on narcotics charges. On October 27, 2015, a federal grand jury indicted him for committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering. He previously pleaded guilty to a separate crack cocaine conspiracy charge and will be sentenced for that offense as well.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 14, 2017. Stanley faces a mandatory life sentence. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter S. Jongbloed and John H. Durham, with cross-designated Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Griffin representing the state. The case reflects a sustained push by federal and state authorities to dismantle violent street gangs and deliver justice for long-unsolved killings.