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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Convicted killer resentenced to life in prison for 1994 Spokane carjacking, killing

Kevin Boot enters a courtroom on May 26, 2017. (Nina Culver)

Convicted killer Kevin Boot was resentenced to life in prison Friday for the 1994 murder of 22-year-old Felicia Reese.

He will be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 50 years.

Boot, who was 17 at the time of the murder, received the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. His situation altered, however, after a 2012 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court found laws requiring mandatory life sentences for juveniles to be unconstitutional.

Judge Raymond Clary noted that Boot was only 15 days away from turning 18 when he committed the murder. Clary called the crime “horrific, calculated and cold-blooded. It was, in fact, a premeditated execution.”

Boot and his cousin, Jerry Boot, kidnapped Reese from a downtown hotel parking lot where she was attending a Christian conference. Jerry Boot pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in 1997 and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Boot already had six juvenile felony convictions and had been escalating his criminal activity in order to raise his status within his gang, Clary said. “He didn’t have to kidnap her,” he said. “He could have just taken her purse. Mr. Booth chose to kill and cover up his crime.”

He was so dedicated to the gang that he continued to be a member for the first five years he was in prison, Clary said.

There’s no way to know if Boot can be outside the structure of a prison without hurting someone, the judge said.

As Clary announced his verdict, Reese’s mother, Maggie Bucher, burst into tears. Reese was an only child and was six months away from getting married when she died. She was buried in her wedding dress.

Overcome with emotion, Bucher made a brief statement after the hearing. “Justice has been served, and I’m very happy with the results,” she said.

A family friend who did not wish to be identified said the family has learned that Jerry Boot was released from prison in January and is living in Spokane. “These last few months have been horrible,” she said.