Failed Carjacker Sentenced For Murder

A man has been sentenced to nearly 55 years in prison for killing a woman and wounding her boyfriend in a botched hijacking attempt.

Brenton Thompson, 25, convicted of first-degree murder last month in the shooting death of Julie Ann Maroni, 27, of Portland, Ore., and of assault in the wounding of Calvin Labee, 28, continued to deny responsibility Friday in Pierce County Superior Court.

Evidence showed the two were shot as they tried to flee during an attempt by Thompson and two other men to commandeer Labee’s car in a motel parking lot on July 8, 1998. The other two, Duane Seraile and Raymond Jones, pleaded guilty.

“I will forever proclaim my innocence with my head held high,” Thompson said. “Deep down, the system has failed.”

Judge Sergio Armijo accepted the prosecution’s recommendation for a 54-year, 11-month prison term, the high end specified by state sentencing guidelines, rather than the low-end, 50-year term proposed by the defense.

“What occurred here is senseless,” Armijo said. “To carjack a car and murder an individual for that reason is ridiculous.”