Two women plead guilty in man’s murder

Andre and Sheri “Stormy” Ramsey are a pair of women who considered themselves married and were raising four children in a Spokane home when they decided last year to allow a male ex-convict to move into their house.

On Wednesday, both women pleaded guilty to murdering that man, 48-year-old Kevin R. Boyle, just as a jury was being selected to hear the case.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Kathleen O’Connor allowed Andre Ramsey to plead guilty to second-degree murder and Sheri Ramsey to plead guilty to first-degree murder in connection to the Oct. 28, 2005, slaying of Boyle.

“This gentleman may not be the nicest person in the world, but you don’t have the right to kill the man,” an incredulous O’Connor told 34-year-old Sheri Ramsey. “It is absolutely tragic. It’s really beyond comprehension how in fact it happened … because it was really, truly, unnecessary.”

On Tuesday, a jury convicted 21-year-old Paul Livingston of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and a five-year weapons enhancement in connection with Boyle’s death.

Livingston, who earlier turned down a plea offer by prosecutors, faces 42 to 54 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 11.

With her plea to second-degree murder Wednesday, Andre Ramsey – also known as Andre Hester – was sentenced by O’Connor to serve 17 years in prison.

Sheri Ramsey, who shot Boyle in the back of the head, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and a weapons enhancement. As part of her plea, prosecutors agreed to drop a charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. As a result, O’Connor sentenced Sheri Ramsey to serve 24 years in prison.

“I was raped by Kevin (Boyle), and he wouldn’t leave us alone,” Sheri Ramsey told O’Connor. “I was going to get him to leave us alone, and things got out of hand, and I shot him.”

The case began last year when Andre and Sheri Ramsey allowed Boyle to move into their home at 2307 W. Mallon Ave. Also living in the home were the couple’s four children.

Paul Livingston’s girlfriend and their two young daughters were living in the garage.

Boyle paid $300 rent to move in, but Andre Ramsey later learned that he had spent most of his previous 23 years in Washington prisons for felony convictions.

The group apparently asked Boyle to move out but he refused, largely because the residents did not offer to pay back his rent.

Then, on Oct. 17, Andre Ramsey, Sheri Ramsey, Livingston, his girlfriend, her sister and 36-year-old Brian K. Wilson began planning ways to get rid of Boyle, according to court records.

The group agreed that Sheri Ramsey would lure Boyle into the alley behind the West Mallon home where she would shoot him and run, according to court records.

Just after 11 p.m. on Oct. 17, Sheri Ramsey twice invited Boyle into the alley, but the .25-caliber pistol failed to fire both times. Sheri Ramsey returned to the home, and Livingston instructed her on how to load the weapon while Boyle waited in another room.

She also convinced Boyle that her attempts to shoot him were jokes. Finally, after midnight and on the third try, Sheri Ramsey got the gun to fire.

She shot Boyle in the back of the head and ran back to the house, then returned and shot him again, according to court records.

Senit Lutgen, who represented Andre Ramsey, said he doesn’t know if anyone will ever know everything that happened that night.

“This case is just chaos,” Lutgen said, explaining that many of the home’s residents had a history of methamphetamine use, especially Boyle.

But Judge O’Connor pointed out that the residents had plenty of remedies, including calling police to report the alleged rape of Sheri Ramsey or getting a court order to remove Boyle from the residence.

“You have the right to be free in your home, but what you don’t have the right to do is take it into your own hands and end up killing somebody,” she said.

“What I think is most disturbing about it … is that there wasn’t anybody who stood up and said, ‘You shouldn’t be doing this.’ “