FAYETTEVILLE — Sergio Hidalgo Andrade Martinez, 52, who was found guilty last week of eight counts of attempted capital murder, including wounding a Fayetteville police officer, was sentenced Tuesday to 147 years in prison.
Legal Lingo
Consecutive Sentencing
When a criminal defendant is convicted on multiple counts, the sentences for each must be served one after the other. This is distinguished from concurrent sentencing, in which sentences for multiple counts are combined into a single period, whichever is the longest of the separate sentences.
Source: uslegal.com
“He will die in prison and that’s where he deserves to die,” said Prosecuting Attorney John Threet. “That type of person doesn’t need to be in society.”
Should Andrade be released, federal authorities will deport him to Mexico.
Andrade shot Fayetteville police officer Blake Williamson in the ankle and shot at seven other officers during a standoff at an apartment complex in March.
Andrade was also found guilty of two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of being a felon in possession of a gun, possession of cocaine and possession of drugs and a gun. Andrade faced 24 charges, plus sentencing enhancements for the use of a firearm during the commission of those crimes.
The jury recommended sentences that served consecutively would be more than 271 years in prison.
Washington County Circuit Judge William Storey accepted the jury’s sentencing recommendations and opted to run seven of the 14 sentences consecutively and the remainder concurrently.
Storey stacked the sentences involving Williamson and officers Marcus Peace and Garret Levine, who came directly under fire, with those involving the other five officers who were on the scene. Storey also ran a sentence for shooting into an occupied apartment, being a felon with a firearm and possession of drugs and guns consecutively.
“In my judgment this case was about more than 10 very brave police officers who put their lives on the line to protect the citizens they’re sworn to protect,” Storey said.
Storey also noted the efforts of the police officers who talked Andrade out of the apartment where he was captured and the jurors, who Storey said sent a message about the wrong people having guns in our society by recommending significant firearm enhancements.
Andrade spoke before he was sentenced and asked for forgiveness and leniency.
Threet urged the judge to make sure Andrade never gets out of prison.
“The state doesn’t believe he deserves another shot at society,” Threet said.
Still pending against Andrade are a felony driving while intoxicated charge and three charges of delivery of cocaine. Those are set for trial in February.