Man whose sentence was commuted now charged with murder
A Washington man whose life sentence was commuted in 2013 by former Gov. Christine Gregoire is back behind bars — and charged with murder.
If convicted, Stonney Rivers, 50, may face his second life sentence.
Rivers continues to commit crimes, even when he is on community custody and even after being given a once-in-a-lifetime second chance,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor John Castleton wrote in charging papers obtained by the Seattle Times.
Rivers was sentenced to life in 1996 under Washington's “three strikes law” following a sequence of robbery and assault convictions. However, the county where Rivers was convicted later changed the way it charges crimes to avoid such life sentences, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. In her last days in office in 2013, Gregorie commuted River’s sentence, allowing him to be released in 2015 under community supervision.
Rivers’ supervision ended in January.
During a drug robbery at a motel on Nov. 2, Rivers allegedly shot and killed David Cabrera. He also reportedly threatened to kill Cabrera’s girlfriend.
Rivers turned himself in at the King County Jail on Nov.11 for an unrelated felony warrant, according to the charging papers. Police questioned him about the murder, and Rivers allegedly admitted to going to the motel to purchase crystal meth, but denied killing anyone.
He is being held without bail.
In a statement released Wednesday, Gregoire defended her decision to commute Rivers’ sentence. She said her decision was based on the recommendation of several authorities, including the county prosecutor, the judge who first sentenced Rivers, and the state Clemency and Pardons Board.
“Their recommendations carried great weight with me,” she wrote, noting that by the time of his release, Rivers had served 20 years in prison.
“Robbery 2 typically results in a sentence of two to three years,” Gregorie continued. “Based on these recommendations and the facts available at the time, to include his performance while in prison, I conditionally commuted Mr. Rivers sentence to his time served subject to compliance with twenty-one different conditions.”
A Washington man whose life sentence was commuted in 2013 by former Gov. Christine Gregoire is back behind bars — and charged with murder.
If convicted, Stonney Rivers, 50, may face his second life sentence.
Rivers continues to commit crimes, even when he is on community custody and even after being given a once-in-a-lifetime second chance,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor John Castleton wrote in charging papers obtained by the Seattle Times.
Rivers was sentenced to life in 1996 under Washington's “three strikes law” following a sequence of robbery and assault convictions. However, the county where Rivers was convicted later changed the way it charges crimes to avoid such life sentences, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. In her last days in office in 2013, Gregorie commuted River’s sentence, allowing him to be released in 2015 under community supervision.
Rivers’ supervision ended in January.
During a drug robbery at a motel on Nov. 2, Rivers allegedly shot and killed David Cabrera. He also reportedly threatened to kill Cabrera’s girlfriend.
Rivers turned himself in at the King County Jail on Nov.11 for an unrelated felony warrant, according to the charging papers. Police questioned him about the murder, and Rivers allegedly admitted to going to the motel to purchase crystal meth, but denied killing anyone.
He is being held without bail.
In a statement released Wednesday, Gregoire defended her decision to commute Rivers’ sentence. She said her decision was based on the recommendation of several authorities, including the county prosecutor, the judge who first sentenced Rivers, and the state Clemency and Pardons Board.
“Their recommendations carried great weight with me,” she wrote, noting that by the time of his release, Rivers had served 20 years in prison.
“Robbery 2 typically results in a sentence of two to three years,” Gregorie continued. “Based on these recommendations and the facts available at the time, to include his performance while in prison, I conditionally commuted Mr. Rivers sentence to his time served subject to compliance with twenty-one different conditions.”
