WOMAN GETS 9 YEARS IN HATE CRIME SLAYING; DEFENDANT THANKS JUDGE, JURY FOR DECISION.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

A woman convicted in the hate crime slaying of a homeless African-American man thanked jurors and said racism was ``stupid'' as she was sentenced Wednesday to nine years in prison.

Jessica Colwell, 20, received the maximum sentence.

She was convicted Nov. 10 of involuntary manslaughter and committing a hate crime for the 1995 death of Milton Walker Jr. behind a McDonald's restaurant in Lancaster.

Colwell was accused of using a metal table leg to hit Walker and gouge his eyes.

Jury foreman Keith Desallas said panelists struggled with whether Walker was already dead when Colwell struck him twice on the head.

In court, Colwell said she had ``no faith in the criminal justice system'' but thanked Superior Court Judge Lance Ito and jurors for being fair, adding ``especially black jurors who could have held a grudge but set that aside.''

``They saved my life,'' she said. ``I think racism is disgusting and stupid . . . I think there will always be disgusting and stupid people, so there will always be racism.''

She also blamed the media ``for glorifying cases like this.'' Colwell told Ito she got mail ``from skinheads who I don't know and think I'm some kind of hero'' because they saw her picture in newspapers.

Colwell concluded by saying she was ``totally blissed out by the verdict'' that saved her from her co-defendants' fate: life in prison.

Two men, Ritch Briant, 20, and Randall Lee Rojas, 23, were convicted of first-degree murder in the case and earlier this week were sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. Prosecutors said they kicked Walker and beat him with a board and the metal table leg.

Three juries heard testimony simultaneously, then issued separate verdicts. All three found the attack was a racially motivated hate crime.

Many jurors considering Colwell's case had expressed disappointment that they were unable to convict her of a more serious charge of second-degree murder, but said prosecutors were not able to prove she had intended to kill Walker.

Deputy District Attorney Jacqueline Lacey asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence, noting that Colwell ``showed no remorse and got a tremendous break from this jury.''

``She remains a significant danger to society . . . and refused to take responsibility for what she's done . . . The fact that a 16-year-old girl could pick up a pipe and hit (Walker) in the head in a place he was already compromised is unspeakable,'' Lacey said.

Although Ito did just that, Colwell will serve about two more years in prison, Lacey said. She has been jailed since Oct. 25, 1997.

According to court testimony, Rojas dealt Walker a blow to the head that rendered him unconscious and may have caused his death, as Briant egged him on.

Briant did not strike Walker during the initial attack but returned to the scene later that evening with Colwell. They kicked and beat the unconscious victim with the same wooden board and a metal table leg, according to testimony.

Because the exact time of Walker's death could not be pinpointed, each defendant blamed others for striking the blows that killed the homeless man.