A 71-year-old Lake Stevens man was sentenced to almost 13 years in prison after shooting his roommate because he wanted to teach her a lesson.
The Everett Herald reports that Thomas Clark had previously admitted to shooting his roommate in the stomach with a two-shot derringer pistol after arguing May 28 over mowing the lawn. The 49-year-old female victim survived.
Clark pleaded guilty last month to first-degree domestic violence assault with a weapon. Five years of Clark’s sentence are related to using a gun under the state’s so-called “hard time for armed crime law, a 1995 initiative that requires mandatory sentence enhancements for a felony involving a gun.
A bill has been circulating in the state Legislature to potentially reform a law that some say leads to excessive sentences. House Bill 1148 was introduced in 2015 to give judges leeway to impose a lower sentence if they believe the mandatory 18-month to 5-year enhancement would result in excessive prison time. The bill was last introduced during the Legislature’s March 2016 special session.
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