SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Darrell Cloud has been sentenced to 136 months in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Candy Fealy in 2016.
The 51-year-old was charged with first degree murder in connection to the 2016 death of Candy Fealy. Cloud entered an Alford plea to first degree manslaughter as part of a plea agreement. According to court documents, the prosecuting attorney recommended he serve eight and a half years in prison followed by 36 months of community custody.
KIRO-TV reported that Cloud previously served time for killing his former middle school teacher in January 1994. Cloud waited outside the North Seattle middle school with an assault rifle before shooting and killing Neal Summers, KIRO reported.
Cloud said Summers sexually abused him for 10 years. KIRO reported that Cloud received a $250,000 settlement in a lawsuit against the Seattle School District, which never admitted liability.
According to court documents, Fealy was dropped off at the hospital unconscious with injuries to her face and bruises all over her body on April 5, 2012. The man who dropped her off told ER staff that she was in a ‘wedding brawl’ and he found her that morning shaking, documents say. The man left and did not return.
Doctors determined Fealy had bleeding on her brain that was life threatening and multiple facial fractures, documents said. Doctors performed brain surgery and believed her injuries were trauma induced, documents said.
Fealy’s mother told police Cloud called her the same day her daughter was taken to the hospital, documents said. She said he told her he found her on the floor, put her to bed, tried to give her liquids but she was unresponsive, according to documents. She then urged Cloud to take her daughter to the hospital, documents said.
It was later determined Cloud was the man who dropped Fealy off at the hospital. When police contacted Cloud, he tried to lie about his identity and was detained, documents said.
Documents said Cloud told police Fealy was in a fight in Tacoma after her brother’s wedding the previous Saturday and he though she hit her head on a counter. Then, he said she was in another fight the Tuesday before her hospitalization. He said during that fight, Fealy was punched in the jaw, fell to the ground and her attacked kicked her in the face, according to documents.
About a month after her initial hospitalization, police interviewed Fealy. Court documents said Fealy couldn’t speak but was able to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions. She told had previously told her mother Cloud had caused her injuries, documents said. When police asked her if Cloud was responsible, she said she was injured in Tacoma, documents say.
Court documents show Cloud was previously arrested for domestic violence against Fealy in 2009 but the case was dismissed.
Fealy died on July 29, 2016. According to court documents, the Spokane County Medical Examiner said he death was attributed to pneumonia due to complications from a subdural hemorrhage and brain contusion. Her manner of death was listed as a homicide.
A warrant was issued for Cloud’s arrest for second degree murder in August 2017.