Randle Man Accused of Killing Father-in-Law Sentenced to Nine Months

Gail LaFontaine trembled as she held a photograph of her late husband and thrust it toward the man who had been accused of killing him Friday in Lewis County Superior Court.

"Erik, can you look at Guy?," she said, imploring Randle taxidermist Erik Massa to respond. "Erik, please look at Guy. He loved you. Erik, can you look at Guy?"

Massa looked down and remained silent as Gail LaFontaine and other family members and friends of 58-year-old Guy LaFontaine spoke throughout an emotionally-charged hour-and-a-half hearing.

Judge James Lawler later sentenced Massa to nine months in jail after Chief Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher acknowledged that conflicting evidence would likely prevent Massa from being found guilty of LaFontaine's murder.

Massa, 43, originally was charged with second-degree murder, but instead pleaded guilty to second-degree assault - a crime punishable by a maximum of nine months in jail - and admitted only to striking Guy LaFontaine in the ribs, causing them to break.

Meagher said the murder charge was dropped as part of a plea bargain because of conflicting information about what exactly lead to LaFontaine's death. He arrived at Morton General Hospital early in the morning on March 14, 2010, with massive blunt force trauma to his head and body and several broken bones after a late-night, alcohol-fueled altercation with Massa.

He died en route to his home in Federal Way, according to court documents.

The King County Medical Examiner determined the death a homicide and described the injuries to LaFontaine, but also noted that there were several existing medical conditions that may have contributed to his death, Meagher said.

That information combined with testimony that Guy LaFontaine's condition had stabilized before his departure from Morton General Hospital made for a difficult case.

"He suffered from heart disease, a very bad case of that, as well as diabetes, as well as he did have some alcohol in system as well, which contributed," Meagher said. "So when you add all this together, the state would have a real hard time proving causation ... If you take causation out of the equation, what you're left with is a rather severe beating."

While Massa didn't ultimately face murder charges, family and friends of Guy LaFontaine made it clear that they blamed him solely for the death.

Kandace Barton, Guy LaFontaine's daughter and the wife of Massa, claimed she was just outside Massa's taxidermy showroom when the beating occurred. She described hearing Massa torture and mock Guy LaFontaine as he called out for help.

"What this has done to my family, I can't even begin to explain," she said. "My mother's not the same, she will never be the same. I'm not the same. I will never be the same. I'm the one who approached Erik to stop what was happening, the one that witnessed it."

Barton described Guy LaFontaine's injuries in vivid detail, often turning toward Massa as she testified.

"I'm the one that held my father's blood in his brain while I told Erik to get help," she said, later adding that she and her mother loaded Guy LaFontaine's limp body into a vehicle and took him to the Morton hospital.

Gail LaFontaine described her husband as a generous and caring man who often helped his coworkers financially at the Todd Shipyards in Seattle, where she said he worked for about 30 years.

A wing of a building at the shipyard was named in his honor and the memorial held after his death caused a halt to traffic in the area and a work stoppage at the shipyard, she said.

She said she suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the wake of her husband's death.

"(It's) the impact on my life of seeing my husband Guy LaFontaine's head smashed into the size of a Kleenex box with tractor boot prints embedded in his head and his eye orbs in the back of his head," she said.

Both Barton and Gail LaFontaine were heavily critical of Massa. They accused him of being an alcoholic who was sometimes abusive and erratic while drinking, which was exactly what he and Guy LaFontaine were doing the night of the altercation.

"You are two different people," Gail LaFontaine said to Massa. "You're a good man and you're a monster.

She took issue with the maximum sentence for second-degree assault.

"He does not deserve nine months," she said. "He deserves life. He took my husband's life."

Massa's attorney Chris Baum provided a different version of events. He said much of the testimony of Guy LaFontaine's family was clouded by a continuing custody dispute over Massa and Barton's young child.

"He became a different individual when he was drinking," Baum said of Guy LaFontaine. "And unfortunately, Mr. Massa saw it that night."

Baum dismissed claims that Massa had used the butt of a shotgun to strike Guy LaFontaine during the argument, a claim put forth by Guy LaFontaine's family. A broken shotgun had been found covered in blood at the scene, according to the Lewis County Sheriff's Office

"An argument ensued, and Mr. LaFontaine grabbed that shotgun and pointed it my client and chambered a round and threatened to kill him with it," Baum said. "My client, a fairly strong individual, wrestled that shotgun away from Mr LaFontaine and took it and broke it."

Massa remained silent through most of the hearing, but took advantage of an opportunity to speak before he was placed under arrest, cuffed and led to the Lewis County Jail.

He expressed remorse, and said he had been advised by his attorneys not to speak sooner. While he never admitted liability for the death, he said he regretted his actions.

"The events of March 13, 2010, were never planned in any way and I can't even imagine something going this wrong," Massa said. "I loved Guy. He was a friend and confidant with me, and it's a family tragedy that I'll live with for the rest of my life. I think about it everyday."

In addition to the jail term, Lawler also sentenced Massa to 18 months of probation following his release. He told the family that he was thankful for their testimony and explained that he simply could not sentence Massa beyond the maximum punishment for second-degree assault.

"While I understand and I know that the family does not accept that position, I hope you can understand that I am limited by law by what I can do," he said.