Second murder conviction sends man to prison for 69 years

A Spokane man has been sentenced to prison for murder for the second time after his first conviction was overturned on a technicality.

Ben Alan Burkey, 55, was sentenced to 69 years in prison this month for the abduction and beating death of 52-year-old Rick L. Tiwater in 2005.

Burkey’s original conviction was one of many reversed by the Washington Court of Appeals because portions of the jury selection were done in private, violating the defendant’s right to a public trial.

A jury found Burkey guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, first-degree robbery and first-degree assault in December.

His lengthy prison sentence, which is the same as his original sentence in 2006, includes several deadly weapon enhancements.

Burkey has a lengthy criminal history that dates back to 1988, including convictions for drug possession, forgery, escape, theft and robbery.