Mark Wade Knight of Everett had more than his day in court.
He had two of them.
For the second time in three years, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder Friday in a 2000 shooting death in south Everett.
He’s one of two men who will get long prison terms in the death of Bruce Macaulay, who died after being shot in the heart while defending himself against a group trying to break into his apartment.
It was what deputy prosecutor Craig Matheson called a “stupid crime” because the drunken young men descended on Macaulay because the victim insisted on repayment of money that had been stolen from him.
Matheson tried Knight in 2001and got a conviction, but the case was sent back to Snohomish County Superior Court for a new trial. The verdict this time came quickly.
Jurors deliberated only about 31/2 hours following a nearly two-week trial before unanimously convicting Knight, 28. The defendant, who has been behind bars since the Sept. 12, 2000, shooting, showed his disappointment by lowering his face to the table.
The verdict pleased the Macaulay family.
“I’m glad it turned out the way it did,” said his brother, Alex, of Everett. “It should have stayed that way the first time.”
The state Court of Appeals sent the case back for a new trial because Judge Larry McKeeman hadn’t let the 2001 jury consider finding Knight guilty of criminal trespass instead of murder.
This time, the judge allowed a criminal trespass alternative, but the jury rejected it.
Knight had been boosted to a second-floor balcony carrying an aluminum baseball bat. The invaders were so drunk they woke Macaulay, and he disarmed Knight and then struck him on the head with his own bat.
A man on the ground, Ty Anthony Wilshusen, then shot three times, striking Macaulay once. Wilshusen was convicted of murder and got a 28-year prison term. Two other participants pleaded guilty to burglary and testified in the trials.
Matheson said Knight was a major participant in a felony – burglary – and that made both him and Wilshusen responsible for murder.
When he fled, Knight left behind the baseball bat, which has his name inscribed on it.
In 2001, Knight was sentenced to about 21 years behind bars. Matheson said he expects Knight to receive about the same penalty when he is sentenced Aug. 12.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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