Associated Press
TACOMA — A 17-year-old boy has been sentenced to more than 26 years in prison for the August 2000 fatal beating of a Tacoma man.
Robert Hernandez was sentenced by Pierce County Superior Court Judge Karen Strombom for his role in the death of Erik Toews, 30.
He was given a sentence at the high end of the adult standard sentencing range for first-degree murder. Hernandez will get credit for the 13 months he served while awaiting trial and could get up to four years off for good behavior.
Hernandez apologized to Toews’ family and his own, but he did not offer an explanation for the crime. He said he has "grown more and more disgusted" with himself since the murder.
"I hurt a lot because I realized what me and my co-defendants did, and I realize how wrong it is to take someone’s life," Hernandez said during the sentencing hearing Friday. "I can’t explain how wrong it feels."
Hernandez and 21-year-old Terrance Hunt, the two oldest defendants, pleaded guilty Sept. 14. Hunt will be sentenced in January. Under state sentencing guidelines, they face between 20 years and 26 years, eight months in prison.
Pierce County prosecutors said Hernandez and Hunt were among eight males, then aged 11 to 19, who left a barbecue at Hunt’s home Aug. 19, 2000, and went hunting for someone to beat. They found Toews and beat him unconscious, prosecutors said. He died six days later.
Four boys — a 12-year-old, two 13-year-olds and a 16-year-old — have already been convicted or pleaded guilty.
A 15-year-old and a 16-year-old are scheduled to be tried as adults on first-degree murder charges in November.
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