A Lynnwood man who strangled his wife to death and then slept at the foot of her bed was sentenced to 12 years in prison Thursday, despite efforts by a prosecutor for a longer term.
John Arthur DeRosia, 50, told Lynnwood police he "just lost it" when his wife hit him Nov. 14, 2003.
DeRosia pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in February, and he cooperated with the investigation. In fact, it was DeRosia who walked into the Lynnwood Police Department three days after the killing with a note telling a clerk he had murdered his wife, Marilyn.
Bonnie Tweten asked Snohomish County Superior Court Judge George Bowden to impose a 16-year term, the middle of the sentencing range for the crime. She said if the case had gone to trial, the state would have sought a first-degree murder conviction, which carries a much longer sentence.
Public defender Kathleen Kyle objected, saying there was never any doubt DeRosia wanted to take responsibility for his actions. She also said letters from family members, which the judge read, attempted to explain DeRosia’s side of what happened. The letters, Kyle added, were not intended to attack the victim’s character.
He’s remorseful and grieves for his dead wife, Kyle told the judge while asking for the low end of the sentencing range, 12 years.
Bowden noted there had been numerous family conflicts and a lot of drinking by his wife and him.
"Every homicide is a tragedy," Bowden said. "There’s nothing I can do to make it less of a tragedy for the family."
He also found that DeRosia is not likely to be a danger to the community when he gets out of prison, so he imposed the low end of the sentencing range.
If he behaves in prison, DeRosia probably will have 14 months shaved off his sentence.
DeRosia surprised police when he came into the station with a note saying his wife was in the back bedroom of the couple’s trailer, and she was dead.
"So I am here to turn myself in for killing wife," the note said.
He told officers he and his wife had been drinking heavily, and he got tired of her hitting him. He returned a blow, hitting her in the face. Then he grabbed a sweater and pulled it tight around her neck, he told officers. He slept at the foot of the bed that night and two more before showing up at the police station, court documents say.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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