Man gets 13 years for his role in shooting.Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard The alleged ringleader ring·lead·er n. A person who leads others, especially in illicit or informal activities. ringleader Noun a person who leads others in illegal or mischievous actions Noun 1. in a drug-related shooting traded stern looks with the victim in court Tuesday before getting a 13-year prison term for attempted murder In the criminal law, attempted murder is committed when the defendant does an act that is more than merely preparatory to the commission of the crime of murder and, at the time of these acts, the person has a specific intention to kill. and kidnapping. Zachariah Keith Wells Keith Wells (May 11, 1962 – January 6 1994) was convicted of the murders of John Justad and Brandis Rains. He was executed in 1994 by the State of Idaho by lethal injection. , 28, denied setting up the robbery and told the 26-year-old victim that he is sorry. The victim, who is in custody for a parole violation, sat under guard in jail green clothing and handcuffs hand·cuff n. A restraining device consisting of a pair of strong, connected hoops that can be tightened and locked about the wrists and used on one or both arms of a prisoner in custody; a manacle. Often used in the plural. tr.v. to witness the hearing. He said nothing to Wells or to Lane County Circuit Judge Lyle Velure ve·lure n. Obsolete Velvet or a velvetlike fabric. [Alteration of French velours; see velour.] . Velure, who frequently takes a big-picture view of the financial and personal costs of crime, inquired about the estimated cost of the investigation and legal defense. He learned that Wells started using drugs as a 12-year-old. Then he pondered whether society might be better served by investing in education and drug prevention for young people rather than prosecution and incarceration Confinement in a jail or prison; imprisonment. Police officers and other law enforcement officers are authorized by federal, state, and local lawmakers to arrest and confine persons suspected of crimes. The judicial system is authorized to confine persons convicted of crimes. for them later in life. At the average cost of $67.53 per day, Wells' 13-year-three-month sentence will cost taxpayers more than $326,000 - without calculating for inflation. Cost of investigation and prosecution was estimated in the tens of thousands of dollars to apprehend Wells in California. It wasn't Wells' first brush with the law; he has eight prior felony convictions. Wells told Velure they are all related to drug use. "Methamphetamine is ruining a generation of young people," Velure commented. "If you don't think it is, just come and sit in this courtroom for a while. I can't think of a more expensive way to address methamphetamine than what we are doing in this courtroom today." Deputy Lane County District Attorney Erik Hasselman said Wells and his two co-defendants concocted numerous versions of the crime, trying to shift blame to one another. The three picked up the victim on Main Street in Springfield the early morning of June 20 and drove him to a remote area off McGowan Creek Road north of the city. It's unclear whether they intended to settle a drug debt or to steal drugs from the victim. The shooter, Shawn Jeffrey Whipple, 22, claimed that Wells instigated the assault and goaded goad n. 1. A long stick with a pointed end used for prodding animals. 2. An agent or means of prodding or urging; a stimulus. tr.v. him into shooting the victim. Hasselman said Wells and the third defendant, Ryan Taylor Ryan Taylor may refer to:
However, he survived the chest wound, walked more than a mile and was found in the roadway around daybreak by a Forest Service employee. Putnam has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and is scheduled for sentencing on Monday, according to court records. Whipple was sentenced to 15 years in prison. All of Wells' sentence falls under Measure 11, requiring that he serve every day of it. |
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