Man Sentenced In Tacoma Kidnap, Killing

A Tacoma man who kidnapped and shot a 23-year-old man to death last March has been sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison.

Sammie Lee Long’s sentence Tuesday was the low end of the standard sentencing range for first-degree murder.

Long, 22, pleaded guilty last year and agreed to testify against co-defendant Jeffrey Antonio Willis in exchange for a recommendation of a lighter sentence.

The two men kidnapped Bach Le at gunpoint March 21 and forced him to drive around in his truck. Long shot Le twice, killing him, during the drive. Willis and Long jumped out of the slow-moving truck, which crashed into some cars.

Willis was sentenced to 2-1/2-years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter last year, following a mistrial in his murder trial.