Family gets wish in sibling slaying: leniency

Timothy Miller and Lena Jantoc couldn't stand the thought of losing another son.

Almost one year after Michael "Mikey" Miller was accidentally shot and killed in their Burien home, the couple went before a King County judge Friday to plead for leniency for the teen who pulled the trigger: their other son, Jordan Jantoc.

"We are overwhelmed every day. We feel it every day when we look at Jordan," Lena Jantoc sobbed. "Punishing Jordan will never ease the pain of losing Michael."

They were joined by tearful relatives, a school principal and the family's pastor, all of whom urged Superior Court Judge Harry McCarthy to sentence Jordan, 16, to home detention rather than the three years in prison recommended by prosecutors. All said no level of punishment would bring back Mikey.

McCarthy agreed.

"I think this is a case where justice needs to be tempered with mercy," McCarthy said before he sentenced Jordan to 24 months of home detention, followed by probation when he will be required to give speeches on gun control.

"This is an extraordinary case to say the least," McCarthy said. "It has resulted in a real tragedy for the family."

When McCarthy agreed to their request, a deep wail and a raspy "thank you" came from Lena Jantoc. After kissing Jordan and squeezing his chin, she said, "I'm so happy my son is coming home."

Jordan, a broad teen dressed in a black suit and cornrow hairstyle, cried throughout much of the court hearing. He apologized repeatedly to his family for the pain he has caused them.

"I take full responsibility for what I did," he said, his hand clenching a tissue. "He was my brother. We did everything together."

Mikey, 16, was a popular athlete at Evergreen High School, a teen who turned over his paychecks from bagging groceries to help his parents defray the costs of rearing a nine-child family, and a boy who loved spending time with his younger siblings.

Stepbrother Jarron Jantoc, 11, called Mikey "the best brother I ever had."

Mikey was 6 and Jordan was 5 when they first met, becoming stepbrothers when Lena Jantoc and Timothy Miller married and blended families.

"Jordan was proud of Mikey," Miller said. "He bragged about him and wore his letterman's jacket."

On Sept. 21, 2006, the two boys were in the basement of the family home when Jordan pulled a silver .380-caliber handgun from underneath his mattress to show his stepbrother. King County sheriff's deputies said Jordan had obtained the weapon by trading a 9-mm Glock that he'd stolen from his stepfather.

The two were examining the weapon when it went off, a bullet lodging in Mikey's collarbone.

"The gun was not aimed at Mikey," defense attorney Matthew King said.

Deputy Prosecutor Don Raz told the judge that he and Jordan's family had agreed that the teen should serve a significantly reduced sentence. Jordan had pleaded guilty in July to first-degree manslaughter, which carries a penalty of up to eight years in prison.

But Raz said Jordan needed to face incarceration for such a "serious violent crime" in addition to the 353 days of electronic detention he has served. McCarthy disagreed, though, and said justice "has to sometimes be tailored for each person."

Seattle Times staff reporter Christine Clarridge contributed to this report.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com