“Superior Court Judge Pat Monasmith sentenced Christopher G. Nichols [above] to 125 years in prison, despite the fact that he had no role in the 2011 killing of Colville resident Gordon Feist,” spokesman.com reports. Not exactly true (obviously). Back on June 28, 2011, Nichols and his mate Eric Booth broke into a home on Bradeen Road in Stevens County. The two men stole a firearms safe complete with firearms. That was the end of it for Nichols. Booth and two co-conspirators knocked on Mr. Feist’s door, pretending they’d run out of gas. The Vietnam vet was driving the threesome back to their car with a can of gas when Booth shot him in the head using one of the stolen guns. The murderers were caught, convicted, testified against Nichols and got their tickets . . .
Judge Monasmith sentenced Booth to 26 ½ years; co-conspirator Fellman-Shimmin to 25 years and co-conspirator Colette Pierce to five years (second-degree murder).
A jury found Nichols guilty of 21 charges, including gun theft, trafficking in stolen property and being a felon in possession of firearms. As a result of the state’s “Hard Time for Armed Crime” law enacted in 1995, the sentences of the gun crimes must be served consecutively, one after another . . .
[Stevens County Prosecutor Tim] Rasmussen said he believed Nichols’ sentence of 125 years was one of the longest sentences ever handed down for a non-murder conviction. But the prosecutor said he was satisfied to have the case resolved.
“Without the burglary of these firearms, this killing (of Feist) would not have occurred,” he said.
Fox News’ resident libertarian has been railing against minimum sentences recently, pointing out that they sometimes put people in jail for whom the law was not intended and crowd the U.S. prison system. Example given: the Florida woman sentenced to 20 years for firing a warning shot at her violent husband.
One about this one. Fair enough?
He deserved his sentence, but only 26.5 years for shooting someone in the back of the head? Didn’t they also get the trafficking and gun charges? How about if you murder someone you go to jail for as long as that person remains dead? As in forever?
That’s what I was thinking. They all deserve life, but giving three reduced sentences – including the trigger man – in order to convict the guy who stole the guns is ridiculous.
If you kill someone you deserve the same. Simple as that. Plus, capital punishment would help with the current overcrowding issue in our prison system as well.
Most prisoners are there for drug crimes, not murder.
What Greg said.
~15,000 homicides a year (so ~15,000 inmates in for murder) is nothing to sneeze at. Plus, think of all the money spent on people doing life sentences. ~$47,000 a year for each inmate. You get the idea.
Oh, and as to the drugs thing, legalize them and tax the hell out of them. Use the tax profits to set up rehab clinics for abusers that want to quit. This “war on drugs” is both a failure and a huge drain on economic resources.
Im neither a drug user or seller, but this bs has cost the taxpayers millions, and has not solved the drug problem in this country at all.
That would help solve the overcrowding of the prisons as well.
Legalize them, yes, but the taxes have to be reasonable or the underground market will still thrive.
Fine by me. Why even bother with incarceration. Just do away with him.
I view us all as crew members on a ship. Once it’s determined that you’re not contributing, and all you are is taking, and worse yet, causing harm… then it’s the plank for you my friend.
I am a bit confused, it sounds like the guy who did not commit the murder got 125 years for a previous crime of stealing guns and the people who were involved in the murder got like 25 years? That can’t possibly be the case, that would be insane?
-D
Wow. It is like I read it. The killers including the guy who also helped stealing the guns got about 100 years less jail than the guy who stole guns but wasn’t involved in the killing.
These are the three dumbest quotes I have ever heard:
“” Rasmussen defended the sentence, saying the burglary was “the root of this violent and senseless killing of Mr. Feist, who was acting as a good Samaritan when he was killed.””
“” “This law has been upheld many times in appellate court,” Rasmussen said. “It represents a decision by the Legislature to strike at the root of violent crime.” “”
“” “Without the burglary of these firearms, this killing would not have occurred,” he said. “”
The delusional stupidity of these statements should disqualify a person from being taken seriously in any position of power. If a public official started claiming dragons were the root of poverty or something like that they’d be committed.
He deserves 125 *more* years for eyebrow tats.
So, theft is a more egregious crime than murder?
Please see above…
Only if the prosecutor is a dumbass chickenshit.
I wonder how long Holder’s sentence is going to be? Oh laws are for you not for me.
1. he had prior felony convictions. we call it 3 strikes in ca. 2. he broke into a house to steal the guns. what if someone had been home? my wife and granddaughters come to mind. 3. as almost always happens in these situations, the first one to snitch, and they all do, gets the best deal. i’m glad this moron is off the streets. yes the others should have gotten stiffer time, that’ll come next time. and there will be a next time. as a side note, does this add any fuel to the debate amongst us about gun safes?
He is going to be some dude’s little prison girl night after night. Good giving him life. Too bad the others got off so easy. A society should not be kind to the cruel.
Based on the photo I’m not sure that would constitute “punishment”, per se.
The article notes that Nichols turned down a deal before trial that would have reduced his sentence by about 100 years. He gambled, he lost, fcuk him.
I’m leaning more toward the drug legalization thing all the time. And maybe if prisons didn’t have cable television and all kinds of amenities that normal folks pay hard earned cash for, it wouldn’t cost $47k a year per prisoner. Prisons should not be hotels plus a few iron bars. I’m sure prison is a step up for a lot of people who go there.
How the heck did they steal the safe? Cheap safe I guess and/or it was not bolted to the floor very well. Wow….All the more reason to buy a REALLY BIG safe so it can’t be carried out easily and MAKE SURE you bolt it to the floor so it can’t be cut/removed.
Hmmm.
Felony murder means that if you are the wheelman in a stickup, you get what the triggerman gets.
That said, it seems that 25 years for murder and 125 years for theft seems a bit imbalanced. The other guys should get 125 years.
Well I think he got what he deserved, I think there probably shouldn’t be minimum sentences but rather guidelines. This way one of two things happen. In the FL woman case it could be argued that she didn’t hurt anyone and has kids, etc, so no sentence or just probation. In this guys case he got what he deserved, and probably deserved more.
If the judgment is harsh, lets say the judge who gave the woman 20 years. If this wasn’t mandatory, I am sure she would have not gone to jail at all or only for a short time. If he gave her twenty years then the lawyer could appeal in that the punishment was to harsh which while not perfect certainly at least gives an option.
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