By Jim Haley
Herald Writer
Two mothers made divergent pleas for justice to a Snohomish County Superior Court judge Friday as the ramifications of a shooting death 13 months ago continued to shape the lives of a pair of families.
One asked a judge to sentence Franco Cesar Romo, 22, to as much as 10 years in prison in connection with the death of her son, Bruce John Macaulay, 30, of Everett.
The other sought leniency for Romo because of his minimal involvement in the Sept. 12, 2000, incident at Macaulay’s apartment.
Judge Larry McKeeman came down on the side of leniency, giving him 12 months in the county jail instead of a prison sentence. In addition, Romo may be able to keep his job in Kitsap County because the judge will allow him to do his time on work release.
Romo is the fourth person to face justice in what his veteran defense lawyer, Richard Hansen of Seattle, termed "one of the most senseless killings I have ever seen."
Another, Erik A. Parkhurst, 22, received the same sentence in June after he and Romo pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary and testified against two others in the case.
Ty Anthony Wilshusen, 23, and Mark Wade Knight, 24, were convicted by a jury of first-degree murder and were sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
The death followed a dispute between friends over a $200 theft from Macaulay, and Macaulay insisting that Wilshusen return the money. Wilshusen led a group to Macaulay’s apartment, where the victim was attacked with a baseball bat and then shot by Wilshusen.
Craig Matheson, deputy prosecutor, entered into a plea-bargain agreement with Romo and Parkhurst to get their testimony in the trial of the other two men. The prosecutor recommended a 15-month prison sentence, but said he would not object to Hansen seeking less.
"In my opinion, without that testimony, we didn’t have a case," Matheson told McKeeman. "It was necessary to do what we did as to Mr. Romo."
On Friday, Deborah Macaulay, the victim’s mother, begged McKeeman to sentence Romo to a long prison term, saying that her son’s death had a terrific impact on her family.
"We are barely picking up the pieces," she told the judge. "Ten years is the least Romo should pay."
There was equal emotion on the other side.
Romo’s parents, from Chicago, told the judge their son is a docile human being.
"My son is not violent," Yolanda Romo told McKeeman. "I beg you please to give him another chance."
In giving Romo the year of work release, McKeeman found that the sentence was similar to what Parkhurst received, and that Romo had been, to a degree, forced to participate in accosting Macaulay. Romo didn’t know what Wilshusen intended, he added.
You can call Herald Writer Jim Haley at 425-339-3447
or send e-mail to haley@heraldnet.com.
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