Dorcus Allen pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder in the killings of four Lakewood police officers in 2009.
Allen, 51, was sentenced to 10 years, which he's already served. Now he'll be released. He has been in custody for more than 13 years and four months, Pierce County Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Adam Faber said.
Prosecutors said Allen drove Maurice Clemmons to and from the area of the coffee shop where Clemmons shot and killed officers Mark Renninger, Tina Griswold, Gregory Richards and Ronald Owens as they prepared for their shifts. Allen said he didn't know Clemmons' plan.
Clemmons was shot and killed by a Seattle police officer during a manhunt.
The plea follows two mistrials, most recently in February when jurors told the court they couldn't reach a unanimous verdict. Allen faced four counts of first-degree murder.
Jurors also weren't able to reach a unanimous verdict at a trial in November.
"Two jury trials against Darcus Allen in recent months both resulted in hung juries," Pierce County Prosecutor Mary Robnett said in a statement Tuesday. "It has become apparent that it will be difficult for any jury to reach a unanimous verdict in this case."
Prosecutors made the plea offer "in consultation with the families of the four slain Lakewood officers," Robnett's statement said. "It is not the outcome we hoped for, but Mr. Allen did agree that there is a factual basis for his guilty plea."
One of the attorneys who represented Allen, Peter Mazzone, told The News Tribune on Tuesday that the plea means Allen is "free as he should have been for 13 and a half years, because he didn't do anything."
Mazzone called the case "a long hard battle," and said Allen "didn't admit to doing anything wrong; he just pled guilty to take advantage of the state's offer so that he can get out today and get his life back in order."
The state Supreme Court vacated Allen's initial sentence of 420 years in 2015, finding that a prosecutor's closing argument misstated the elements required for a guilty verdict, The News Tribune reported.
A Lakewood Police Department news release Tuesday said: "It has been a long, hard, and difficult path, but one where we persevered in order to hold those accountable for the heinous and brutal murders of our Police Officers. This crime deeply impacted the families, our Department, as well as our entire community. This only further underscores the importance of this verdict."
The statement thanked the Prosecutor's Office for its work.
"We have now had two trials and 13 years of appeals," the release said. "Throughout it all, their office remained steadfast in their efforts to achieve justice and accountability for the murders of our four officers."
