Man sentenced to 5 years in prison for deadly Spokane Valley drug robbery

A 29-year-old man was sentenced to five years in prison Monday for a drug robbery that turned deadly in March.

Brendon McCullough pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree robbery, second-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

McCullough was a drug dealer, his girlfriend told police, according to court records, and went to a Spokane Valley apartment to steal drugs.

He and 16-year-old Nathaniel Byers went to 4009 S. Bowdish Road on March 8 to steal from a man named Kevin Heaton.

Byers waited in the car while McCullough went inside. The robbery quickly turned violent with McCullough and Heaton fighting over a gun. Byers ran in the apartment with a pistol to help McCullough.

A gunshot had gone off when Byers got inside. Heaton’s son picked up McCullough’s gun on the floor and the two exchanged gunfire.

Byers was shot in the head and died two days later. The son was shot in the hand.

McCullough fled but was arrested later that night. Heaton was arrested and later charged with multiple drug related crimes. He is awaiting trial.

It does not appear that Heaton’s son was arrested in connection to the shooting. He was arrested on a drug trafficking warrant out of Idaho in May, according to court records.

McCullough pleaded guilty to assaulting Heaton and was sentenced to 63 months in prison by Judge Raymond Clary on Monday.