Man gets over 16 years in killing of teen

Published 8:43 pm Wednesday, December 31, 2008

EVERETT — James Carlberg walked away from the argument.

Minutes later he lay crumpled on the ground. His jaw was broken. Cuts slashed across his chin and head. A switchblade knife had pierced his heart.

The 18-year-old man was rushed to the hospital. He never came home.

His grieving parents stood before a judge Tuesday in Snohomish County Superior Court. Joan Carlberg clutched a metal urn containing her son’s ashes. Her heart is broken, she told the judge.

Those responsible for killing his son will never be able to understand the pain they have caused and what they took from him, Dan Carlberg said.

His son taught him about love, bravery and living life without regrets. Carlberg said he was a better man for having his son in his life; now he feels he is less.

“I want the defendant to know I will not hate him for what he’s done. Neither will I forgive him,” he said.

Dustin Powell, 21, bowed his head and stared at his shackled hands.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the 2007 slaying. Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Ronald Castleberry on Tuesday sentenced him to more than 16 years in prison.

A 16-year-old co-defendant, Coleman Wall, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in July in juvenile court. He could be held in juvenile detention until he is 21.

“It was senseless. It was stupid. It was violent, and a young man is dead,” Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Craig Matheson told the Castleberry.

Matheson said the attack was unprovoked.

Carlberg was dating a woman who lived in the same house with Wall and his mother. There was an ongoing dispute between Carlberg and the defendants.

On Dec. 6, 2007, Carlberg was at the house with his girlfriend when he was confronted by Wall and Powell. He left the house and walked away.

Powell and Wall followed. They attacked Carlberg from behind.

Powell had metal bars in his hand when he punched Carlberg in the back of the head. Carlberg attempted to defend himself. Wall then attacked him with a club, bashing Carlberg on the back and head.

Carlberg was unarmed, Matheson said.

Carlberg’s girlfriend pulled out a knife and attempted to protect him, Matheson wrote in court documents.

Powell drew a switchblade and stabbed Carlberg in the chest. The teen collapsed.

Powell and Wall ran. They were arrested a short time later.

Powell read from a letter Tuesday. He said he’d made a terrible mistake that he wished he could take back. He told the Carlbergs he hoped that someday they will forgive him for what he did.

Powell’s mother also offered a tearful apology.

“We apologize for not fulfilling our responsibility as parents,” Shirley Powell said. “We are deeply devastated for our son and that our son has brought such pain to this family and friends. This is not the way to repay the blessings our son has received.”

Powell’s attorney Danica Comstock asked Castleberry to consider her client’s mental disabilities as a mitigating factor in the crime. The Everett man suffered severe brain injuries after being involved in a car accident in 2002.

Castleberry said he didn’t doubt that Powell was hurt in the crash but he couldn’t be certain that the man’s injuries played a role in the slaying. The judge said blaming the homicide on Powell’s injuries would be oversimplifying the situation.

Powell used drugs and was involved in a dysfunctional household, Castleberry said.

“It’s obvious that Mr. Powell has severe brain damage but it was also apparent that the lifestyle he put himself into was disastrous,” the judge said.

Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.