A Thurston County judge sentenced a 22-year-old man to 62 months in prison for first-degree manslaughter Tuesday, ending a now five-year court process.
Judge Christine Schaller sentenced Dallas F. Martin to 5 years and 2 months in prison followed by 36 months of community custody for recklessly causing the shooting death of Alex Thomas-Anderson in October 2015, court documents show.
Thomas-Anderson, then 19, died after an argument erupted during a botched marijuana deal at a Ruddell Road home. Prosecutors singled out Martin, then 17, as the one who likely fired the gun that accidentally hit Thomas-Anderson.
Martin entered a plea of guilty to the manslaughter charge on Oct. 12.
A jury previously found Martin and Andre D. Wiley not guilty on charges of first-degree murder and first-degree attempted robbery in September 2018, but convicted Martin of an additional charge of unlawful possession of a firearm in the second-degree.
In a statement to the court, Martin wrote he did not believe he caused Thomas-Anderson's death but pleaded guilty after reviewing substantial evidence against him.
In exchange for his guilty plea and in light of his youth, the prosecutor agreed to recommend a sentence below the standard range for this offense, according to court documents.
Though Martin was under 18 at the time of Thomas-Anderson's death, he was charged as an adult and faced a standard range of 86 to 114 months in prison.
The prosecutor acknowledged Thomas-Anderson's family disapproved of a mitigated sentence but argued the Eighth Amendment and precedent set by State v. Houston-Sconiers meant the court had to treat Martin differently.
The judge accepted the lower sentence after determining Martin's youth, environment and family circumstances impacted his decision-making and mental health, court documents show.
The court also found Martin did not start the gun fight but rather reacted to what others were doing in the room, according to the final court document. The judge noted Martin's incomplete brain development and mental health diagnosis likely affected the way he perceived events in the room, the document read.
Additionally, the judge factored how familial and peer pressures may have affected Martin by noting that he associated with gang members who were older than him. Eight others were charged in connection to the shooting at the Ruddell Road Home, the oldest of whom was 33 at the time of the shooting.
The final sentencing also indicated Martin has the potential to be rehabilitated with the help of friends and family in the community.
The court noted Martin has had no significant issues during his extended stay in the Thurston County jail, however he did violate court orders when he was released on bail, according to court documents.
Martin also was arrested in 2018 in connection with a 2017 Yakima homicide. However, that case was dismissed in March, according to court records.
In a victim's statement delivered to the court, friends of Thomas Anderson called on the judge to give Martin the maximum sentence allowed by law.
"Mr. Martin will have a life ahead of him and countless opportunities, something Alex will not have, nor will his family," stated Lore Hite-Moodenbaugh, a family friend of Thomas-Anderson. "Something has to happen, a lesson needs to be taught, not just a slap on the wrist."
Logan Hite, a friend of Thomas-Anderson, stated to the court that he did not think Martin should get a lower sentence because of his youth.
"Life will never be the same without Alex," Hite said. "I feel bad that you (Martin) were raised up with parents, friends and family who were a bad influence on you. You were young with a long life ahead of you and then you did this. I hope you understand what you have caused to me and Alex's family."
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