EVERETT — The father of Jaymari Williams sees himself in his 20-year-old son.
When he was 20, he also got into trouble, spending time in jail. But 30 years later, he “hasn’t seen a jailhouse” since.
Williams and his father were in Snohomish County Superior Court on Wednesday for the son’s sentencing in connection with two 2020 pot shop robberies south of Everett.
“I believe that his path is very similar to mine,” the father told the judge. “Which means he can be successful, and all that I am asking you to do today is to give him that chance to get started at remaking his life the way that it’s supposed to be.”
Judge Paul Thompson sentenced Williams to nearly 3½ years in prison, at the low end of state sentencing guidelines. Prosecutors pushed for 4½ years. Citing his youth, defense attorney Derek Conom argued for a sentence below the guidelines of just over 2½.
Williams, of Seattle, was 18 at the time of the Snohomish County robberies. He has no prior felony or misdemeanor convictions.
Last month, he pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree robbery for incidents at the same store, Marijuana Club 99, in February 2020. He was also originally charged with using a firearm in one of the robberies. That would have added five years to the sentence, but that allegation was dropped.
Prosecutors have also connected Williams and other suspects to multiple other weed store robberies in King and Kitsap counties, according to court papers. Local prosecutors won’t file charges on any other Snohomish County allegations, deputy prosecutor Kirk Mahjoubian said in court Wednesday. Another suspect in the charged robberies is awaiting trial.
As of Wednesday,Williams did not appear to have any charges related to those other robberies, in either jurisdiction.
In letters to the judge, family members called Williams a “responsible person who took the wrong path” and deserves a second chance. He has served more than a year and a half at the Snohomish County Jail since his arrest in September 2020.
Williams knows life will be more challenging after his release, Conom said in court.
“He’ll have to work extra hard to prove that isn’t the person that he is,” the defense attorney said. “He’s a young Black man that has a lot going for him.”
Williams told the judge he plans to use his incarceration as “motivation to improve myself mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.”
“My dream now is to become a righteous individual,” he said.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.
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