Man pleads guilty in traffic-circle slaying

A Renton man accused of fatally punching a South Seattle man during an argument at a traffic circle on July 9 pleaded guilty this morning to second-degree murder.

King County prosecutors said they will recommend a sentence of 11 years and four months for Brian Keith Brown. However, Brown's attorney said he will seek a sentence of eight to nine years.

Sentencing will be sometime in May.

Brown was charged with fatally punching 60-year-old James Paroline in the Rainier Beach neighborhood. Paroline was tending a traffic-circle garden when he and two teenage girls got into a dispute.

Paroline had set up traffic cones at the corner of South Cooper Street and 61st Avenue South. The girls said he had squirted them with water.

Paroline was knocked down with one punch.

Brown, who was arrested July 16, was remorseful about what happened, and was "praying and stressing a lot" over the death, his mother said at the time. She said her son was trying to help the girls.

Brown has two past convictions for third-degree assault.

The incident caused outrage in the area, where more than 230 people showed up at a community meeting afterward to hear an update on the police investigation.

During a news conference after Brown's plea in King County Superior Court, relatives and friends of the victim said they were pleased that the case had been resolved, but weren't convinced that Brown was sincerely remorseful.

"The Seattle community ... has had a chill run down its spine because a crime was committed while a citizen was performing a service to protect the neighborhood from speeding ... " said friend Hans Aschenbach.

Information from The Seattle Times archives is included in this report.

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com