A Duluth man who brought a loaded gun to a drug deal intending to scare the dealer and rip off marijuana but wound up committing murder was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison Wednesday.
Spencie Walker Jr., 22, had earlier pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while committing or attempting to commit the felony offense of aggravated robbery.
Judge Heather Sweetland sentenced Walker, a 2005 Duluth Central graduate and the father of two young sons, to 128 months in prison. In a letter in his court file, Walker wrote that the mother of his sons was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
At his plea hearing last month, Walker admitted carrying a loaded gun to the apartment at 227 W. Third St. on June 14, 2008, and shooting to death Stanley Michael Boody, 35. He said he went to the residence to buy marijuana from Boody.
Walker testified that he first shot himself in the upper chest area during a scuffle with Boody. Then, with his arms around the back of Boody, he fired a second shot across the victim's upper back, striking him and causing his death.
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Before being sentenced, Walker apologized to Boody's family and his own family. He said that he "let a lot of people down.'' Several members of Walker's family told him they loved him as court security officers led him from the courtroom.
None of Boody's friends or family attended the hearing. Boody had an extensive criminal history, including convictions for theft, check forgery, aggravated robbery, drug possession and attempted theft. According to the autopsy report, Boody had a tattoo on his left arm with the words "Thug Life.''
Public defender Jill Eichenwald asked the court to depart from state sentencing guidelines and give Walker probation or consider convicting him of manslaughter and handing down a subsequent shorter prison sentence.
Eichenwald argued that the shooting "was an aberration'' and not a true indication of her client's character. She said he wasn't a violent person, was remorseful and would be amenable to probation.
St. Louis County prosecutor Mark Rubin argued for a guideline prison sentence. He acknowledged the support Walker received from friends and family and said his heart breaks for them, but added that the defendant should have been with his family on the night of the shooting.
"The death of one person diminishes us all,'' Rubin told the court. "A life has been taken. He should pay for what he did.''
Sweetland ruled that "no substantial and compelling circumstances,'' had been presented to persuade her that she should depart from state sentencing guidelines.
