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Men Sentenced For Tumwater Murder in 2007

POSTED: 5:01 pm PDT July 23, 2008
UPDATED: 6:11 pm PDT July 23, 2008

Two men who murdered a man at his Tumwater home were sentenced in Olympia Wednesday.

The niece of Jerry Totten said her uncle went out of his way to help people in need, but she said in January 2007, Michael Sublett and Christopher Olsen returned his kindness with betrayal, robbery and murder.

Officials said Sublett and Olsen killed Totten at his Tumwater home by using a baseball bat to beat him and then strangling him with an electrical cord. The pair then stuffed his body in the back of his pickup truck where he was not discovered for nearly two weeks.

"He didn't deserve to die like this," said Totten’s sister.

Totten's sister told the judge her brother's murder has devastated her family and the pain never goes away.

"It's very disturbing to think that people can do something to somebody that was so good to them," said Totten’s sister.

Totten's 91-year-old mother said if she had her way, the killers would be hanged for their crime.

Both convicted killers apologized to the victim's family, but still claimed they were not murderers.

"Although I am extremely ashamed of my behavior for stealing from Jerry, from the bottom of my heart and I did not, I repeat, I did not have anything to do with Jerry's murder," Sublett said.

Totten's family said they don’t believe a word. They told the judge to keep others safe from these two men and that they need to remain behind bars.

The judge sentenced repeat offender Sublett to life in prison without parole and Olsen was ordered locked up for 41 years.

Sublett and Olsen were convicted in part due to the testimony of the third person involved in the murder of Totten.

April Frazier was allowed to plead guilty to the reduced charges of manslaughter in exchange for testifying against the two men at their trial.

Prosecutors are recommending she receive a four and half year sentence for her involvement in Totten's murder.

Frazier said she was there the night Totten was murdered, but claims to have been in another room when the deadly attack took place.


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