SPOKANE, Wash. – The man who admitted to killing a Spokane businessmen was sentenced on Friday.
A judge sentenced Timothy Suckow to 30 years in prison and five years in supervised release. He said before he announced the sentencing that the minimum term is usually life for Suckow’s crimes.
Suckow pleaded guilty to two counts of murder-for-hire charges in September 2015. His charges including murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-of-hire for the deaths of Spokane businessmen Doug Carlile and KC Clarke, who vanished in North Dakota in 2012. James Henrikson was the convicted for being the mastermind of the murder-for-hire plot.
Judge Mendoza brought up a text from trial where Suckow said he was thirsty for blood. He said even though many people said positive things about Suckow, but it does not take back what he did. He said Suckow was used by others and he was weak mentally.
He said he will write a letter in support of Suckow receiving mental treatment.
"I really am sorry. For 54 days after I got arrested, I didn't eat. I wanted to die," Suckow said at his sentencing.
The prosecution said Suckow showed remorse for his crimes. They said Suckow was influenced by Henrikson. Suckow’s testimony was critical in Henrikson's trial because he tried to help locate the body of Clarke, the prosecution said. Prosecution said Suckow made honest and sincere efforts to find Clarke. But, his body has never been found.
"We shouldn't be here. It's all my fault. I think arguing over money is stupid," Suckow said.
Roger Peven, Suckow’s defense attorney, also spoke. He said Suckow didn't eat for 54 days and lost 70 pounds right from the beginning of his jail time. Peven said they were concerned for his mental health. He asked for Suckow to be placed in a facility where he can receive mental health counseling. They requested him to be in Spokane County Jail for his term due to the mental health treatment he has received.
Lazaro Pesina, Robert Delao, Robby Wahrer and Carlile’s family were also in attendance at the sentencing.
Delao was sentenced for his role as an accomplice in the murder. The judge said the he will not follow the sentencing range in the plea agreement. He said he failed to see how the recommended 14 to 17 years considered the need to protect the public.
Judge Mendoza said Delao was just as culpable as Suckow.
"How can you assure me the public would be secure in a sentence such as this?" the judge said.
Delao's defense attorney said every time he cooperates with the government he has to cut ties with those people and it is a dangerous thing to do.
His defense said he cannot be put out in the general population because he is a known informant but the judge called him the “trigger” for the murders of Clarke and Carlile.
"He is kind of like a criminal chameleon. He adapts to whatever situation he's in," Judge Mendoza said.
Judge Mendoza rejected the plea agreement so he gave Delao an opportunity to withdraw his guilty plea. He said he plans to sentence Delao to 30 years in prison. Delao's sentencing was continued to August to give him time to decided if he should change his guilty plea and instead go to trial.
Pesina plead guilty to one count of interstate transportation and in aid of racketeering. The prosecution said he was not aware of the Carlile murder. The defense attorney said Pesina thought it was a robbery. He said he wanted to be placed in a Phoenix correction center because of their training programs.
Pesina was in tears when he was in court, according to KREM 2’s Lindsay Nadrich. He said he is sorry for what he has done.
The judged sentenced Pesina to 12 years in prison with five years of supervised release. The defense and prosecution both recommended a similar sentence for him. The judge dismissed all other charges he did not plead guilty too.
Wahrer was the getaway driver in the Carlile murder. His attorney, Doug Phelps, said his client did not know it was a murder. Wahrer apologized to everyone and said he had cut ties with Suckow.
Wahrer was sentenced to 10 years in prison and he will be placed on supervised release for five years after he gets out. Wahrer waived his right to appeal because of the plea agreement.
"In this case you may not have had the specific knowledge that someone was going to be killed,” the judge said. “But you have to live w the fact that someone was killed."
Widow Elberta Carlile spoke in court on Friday.
"I'm appalled that you would argue over a monetary thing such as money," she said. "Is there one of you that can bring back my husband? Look me in the face, is there one of you that can bring back my husband?"
KREM 2’s Lindsay Nadrich was in court. She said Carlile was very emotional while speaking on the stand. She said all her dreams had to be put on hold because they all involved her husband.
"It's all the little things that went on in our lives that were so important to us that no one knows about," she said. "You can't take away my memories. He will live on through our stories."
Carlile’s oldest daughter MeLainee McLaine also spoke in court. She said her father missed his her daughters getting married and never got to meet some of his great grandchildren.
"I lost my mom. She's just now starting to live her life like she used to," she said in court.
McLaine asked the judge for a maximum sentence and called the defendants “cold-blooded killers."
Prosecuting attorney Aine Ahmed was able to get more restitution money related to the damage caused by the murder. Ahmed said it cost Traveler’s Insurance $15,463 to restore the Carlile home for bullets in a popcorn machine and dining room. The defense filed a motion objecting but the judge ruled in favor of the prosecution.