Man gets 17 1/2 years for role in attack.Byline: BILL BISHOP The Register-Guard A teen-ager who admitted stabbing Russell Wade Van Dell twice during an attack in August that left Van Dell partially paralyzed par·a·lyze tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. was sentenced Monday to 17 1/2 years in prison. Matthew Wayne Barrett, 19, admitted to police that he stabbed Van Dell in the spine, possibly causing the paralyzing wound, and later sliced Van Dell's throat, Deputy District Attorney Bob Lane said in court. Under Oregon law, Barrett could have been prosecuted for all of the crimes committed against Van Dell because he helped several other people who also attacked the 35-year-old Eugene man in an abandoned house at 541 Lawrence St. the night of Aug. 28, Lane said. But in a deal with the prosecutor, Barrett pleaded guilty to one count each of attempted aggravated ag·gra·vate tr.v. ag·gra·vat·ed, ag·gra·vat·ing, ag·gra·vates 1. To make worse or more troublesome. 2. To rouse to exasperation or anger; provoke. See Synonyms at annoy. murder and first-degree assault. He agreed to allow a judge to decide whether his sentence for each crime should be served back-to-back. Under Oregon's Measure 11 mandatory sentencing A mandatory sentence is a court decision setting where judicial discretion is limited by law. Typically, people convicted of certain crimes must be punished with at least a minimum number of years in prison. Mandatory sentencing laws vary from country to country. law, attempted aggravated murder carries a 10-year term. First-degree assault carries a 7 1/2 -year term. In a 15-minute hearing, the prosecutor told Lane County Circuit Judge Maurice Merten that Barrett's attacks came hours apart and showed a willingness to commit more than one crime. Lane urged the judge to stack the sentences on top of one another. Defense lawyer Bill Kent said others involved in the attack inflamed Barrett by falsely stating that Van Dell had molested mo·lest tr.v. mo·lest·ed, mo·lest·ing, mo·lests 1. To disturb, interfere with, or annoy. 2. To subject to unwanted or improper sexual activity. a child. He noted that Barrett left the residence before others set fire to Van Dell. The attack left Van Dell with 15 stab wounds and third-degree burns third-degree burns npl → brûlures fpl au troisième degré third-degree burns third npl → Verbrennungen pl dritten Grades over the lower half of his body. Barrett, a Utah native who had been in Lane County for a month before the assault on Van Dell, apologized in court and told the judge he intends to try to better himself while in prison. Without comment, Merten imposed the maximum Measure 11 term, which cannot be reduced for any reason. All but one of the five defendants in the case has been prosecuted for the attack. Justin Roy Evert e·vert v. To turn inside out or outward. evert to turn inside out; to turn outward. McKelvey is under treatment in a state psychiatric hospital psychiatric hospital n. A hospital for the care and treatment of patients affected with acute or chronic mental illness. Also called mental hospital. until he is deemed fit to stand trial. |
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