TACOMA – A judge found a fatal shooting so disturbing that she had to be reminded by a prosecutor about sentencing restrictions.
Pierce County Superior Court Judge Beverly Grant wound up sentencing Aaron Eugene Kennedy, 31, to slightly more than 23 years in prison, the top of the standard range, as prosecutors had recommended.
Grant tried to order a longer prison term Friday, but deputy prosecutor Gregory Greer noted that to do so she would first have to convene a jury for a sentencing hearing.
“It’s unfortunate that my hands are tied in this situation,” she said. “Your behavior was totally irresponsible and has damaged (Wren’s family) beyond repair.”
Kennedy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his roommate, Levi Joseph Wren, 22, who was shot nine times in the kitchen of the home they shared in Midland in July 2004. Investigators wrote in documents filed in court that Kennedy got angry when Wren asked him to move out.
Associated Press
Woman found slain in bathtub in her home
A woman believed to be in her late 20s was found slain in a bathtub at her home in the city’s south end.
Police found the body about 6 p.m. Sunday after the woman’s mother told authorities she hadn’t heard from her daughter in a couple of days, officer Mark Fulghum said.
He would not specify the cause of death but said it was from “obvious homicidal violence.”
The woman’s husband was not at the scene and one of the couple’s two cars was missing.
Associated Press
Theft accusation cited in killing of three people
Four people have pleaded innocent in the execution-style killing of three people at a house about two blocks from the University of Puget Sound, shootings that police say stemmed from an accusation of theft.
Ulysses “Moonie” Handy III, 24, his cousin, Darryl David Pierce, 24, and Sirree Tariq Muhammad, 18, remained in the Pierce County Jail without bail after each entered pleas Friday to first-degree robbery and three counts of aggravated first-degree murder. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to seek the death penalty.
Pierce’s girlfriend, Ronee L. Gutierrez, 20, charged with robbery and three counts of felony first-degree murder, remained in jail with bail set at $1 million bail.
Handy, enraged at being accused by Darren S. Christian of involvement in the theft of a valuable jacket, recruited the other three to help him retaliate on Feb. 7, prosecutors wrote in documents filed in court.
Associated Press
Seattle: King County logo will feature MLK
King County will replace the crown on its official logo with an image of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. under an ordinance approved Monday by the Metropolitan King County Council.
The county, which includes Seattle, was originally named for Vice President William Rufus DeVane King. In 1986, the county council passed a motion declaring that the county name honored the slain civil rights leader, not the slaveholder. The state Legislature approved that change last year to give it the force of law.
Now, the county’s logo will bear King’s likeness, rather than the crown symbol featured for 38 years, the council said in a statement.
Washington state and the city of Seattle also have seals bearing the images of their namesakes – George Washington and Chief Sealth.
Associated Press
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