Mardi Gras killer is sentenced again

Five years ago today, Kristopher Kime, a music-loving Kent college student who dreamed of becoming a disc jockey, was beaten to death while trying to help an injured woman during Seattle's Mardi Gras riot.

Yesterday, his killer, Jerell Thomas, was sentenced for a second time — getting five years less than his original sentence.

Thomas, who was convicted in 2001 of second-degree felony murder in the death of Kime, pleaded guilty yesterday to second-degree manslaughter, avoiding a new trial. Thomas' original conviction, which carried a 15-year sentence, was overturned last year after the state Supreme Court threw out the law that covered his crime.

Thomas, who was 17 at the time of the slaying, was sentenced yesterday by King County Superior Court Judge Theresa Doyle to the maximum punishment of 10 years in prison. He could be released in less than three years with good behavior, said his attorney, Jeff Kradel.

His convictions for two other assaults that night still stand.

Thomas appealed his original conviction and won because of a 2002 decision by the state Supreme Court. In that case, known as the Andress decision, the court ruled that an assault leading to an unintended death cannot be a murder. Instead, the court said, it would have to be manslaughter, which carries a lighter sentence.

The court's reasoning was that every homicide by definition includes an assault. The ruling overturned years of precedent and put into question hundreds of murder convictions. In King County, prosecutors are dealing with each case as it comes up, deciding whether to refile charges or enter into plea agreements with the defendants.

About a dozen members of Kime's family watched yesterday as Thomas received a new sentence, and several addressed the court to remind everyone of what was lost the night Kime died.

As the eldest of four siblings, Kime, 20, was looked up to for guidance and was a family role model, said his grandmother, Beverly Ann Schukar. The mild-mannered high-school soccer star was looking forward to being a coach at his alma matter, Evergreen High School in the Highline School District, that summer, and he hoped to go into a career in radio or television after college.

But Kime's dreams vanished when he was caught in the violent crowd on Fat Tuesday night in 2001 as he tried to navigate Pioneer Square with a group of friends. He came upon a young woman who was pushed to the pavement during the melee.

As Kime bent down to help the stranger up, he was hit from behind with a bottle and fell to the ground. He was then repeatedly punched in the head by Thomas and later died from the injuries.

"They may forget his name, but they will never forget his selfless act," said Schukar of her grandson's efforts to help the woman.

Several members of Thomas' family were present in court yesterday but declined to make any public comments.

Kime's mother, Kim Kime-Parks, said after the hearing yesterday that she was satisfied with the guilty plea and the sentence.

"It's a very hard day," she said. "I couldn't have asked for a better son. [Thomas] took a little part of everyone's life in this room."

Natalie Singer: 206-464-2704 or nsinger@seattletimes.com