Once again, Dorcus D. Allen swore he had no idea Maurice Clemmons planned to kill four Lakewood police officers the morning of Nov. 29, 2009.
At one point during his sentencing hearing Friday, the man convicted of being Clemmons' getaway driver turned and faced the slain officers' relatives who'd gathered in a fifth-floor courtroom at the County-City Building.
"I'm sorry about what happened to your families," said Allen, who was convicted by jury last month of being an accomplice to four counts of first-degree murder. "If I could have stopped it, I would have stopped it. I had no idea this man was going to kill your family members."
Judging by their shaking heads, those he addressed didn't buy it.
Neither did Pierce County Superior Court Judge Frederick Fleming, who sentenced Allen to 420 years in prison.
That was the sentence deputy prosecutors Phil Sorensen and Stephen Penner had sought for the only man convicted of murder in the deaths of Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39; and officers Tina Griswold, 40; Ronald Owens, 37; and Gregory Richards, 42.
Five other people were convicted of helping either Clemmons or Allen or illegally possessing weapons in the wake of the shootings. One man was acquitted.
Clemmons, who gunned down the officers at a Parkland coffee shop where they'd gathered for breakfast, died Dec. 1, 2009, after being shot by a Seattle police officer following an intense two-county manhunt.
Prosecutors contended at trial that Allen drove Clemmons to and from the vicinity of the coffee shop that morning knowing what his friend intended to do.
Jurors believed Allen dropped Clemmons off right behind the shop that morning after driving by twice to assess the situation, said Eric Freutel, who served on the jury and attended Friday's sentencing.
Penner delivered the state's sentencing recommendation without embellishment: 105 years on each count.
He then turned the floor over to Tom DeLong, Griswold's brother.
DeLong, the only relative of any of the officers to speak, held little back.
"While I would have liked to see Dorcus Allen hang for his crimes, I find some comfort in the thought that he may serve a lengthy, miserable sentence in prison," he said. "I also find comfort that he will die a miserable death in prison, surrounded by other low-life cowards."
DeLong went on to say he hoped Allen, while "he burns in hell," is tormented by Clemmons' nearby screams.
"Dorcus Allen not only had foreknowledge of what was to come, he actively participated in the crime, and, true to his character, ran from law enforcement," DeLong said.
Defense attorney Peter Mazzone, who along with Mary K. High represented Allen, delivered remarks on behalf of his client.
Mazzone maintained that Allen was convicted improperly, that prosecutors arguments during closing statements that Allen "should have known" what Clemmons intended to do that morning were a misstatement of the law and grounds for a new trial.
Fleming on Friday rejected the defense team's request for a new trial.
Mazzone said the punishment his client faced -- 80 years to 420 years, depending on who was making the recommendation -- was unfair.
"That punishment far exceeds his level of culpability," he said. "We will all feel good today -- that is everyone except for the people sitting at this table -- because we will go home and think that justice has been done.
"Well, if what the state is recommending -- 420 years -- is the just punishment for someone who maybe should have known what a crazy man was going to do, then so be it."
Mazzone wasn't done.
"Mr. Allen's future doesn't lie with the punishment that this court hands down today," he said. "His future lies with the wisdom of the courts of appeal. So, that's where we're going to go. We'll file paperwork as soon as the judgement and sentence is signed."
Fleming then gave Allen a chance to speak.
"This is the speech of an innocent man," Allen began.
He apologized to his own family and friends for any pain he'd caused them over the years.
Then Allen attacked the police, prosecutors and "injustice system" he believes made him a scapegoat for Clemmons' actions.
"Through your manipulations I found myself being victimized by the exact same prejudice and hate that was delivered by the hands of Maurice Clemmons on Nov. 29, 2009 to officers Griswold, Renninger, Owens and Richards," he said.
Allen went on to say he thought some elected officials used the officers' deaths for political purposes.
He then offered condolences to the officers' families.
Allen saved his last comments for Fleming.
"Your honor, you and the prosecutors say I should have known. I didn't know, and I ask you to consider that today in this hearing," he said.
Fleming gave no indication that he did.
"Punishment is to be a deterrent," the judge said before handing down the sentence of 5,040 months.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
