TACOMA, Wash. – A Bonney Lake man will spend nearly a decade behind bars after prosecutors said he took the law into his own hands.
Investigators said Tobin Panton was trying to shoot a fleeing car thief when one of his stray bullets flew through a neighbor’s home and struck her in the head, killing 62-year-old Linda Green.
Panton pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree manslaughter in July. His attorney hoped to convince the court to be lenient in sentencing, but on Friday the judge threw the book at him, sentencing Panton to the maximum limit.
Green had recently retired from Boeing – but her life was cut short while she slept in her own bed.
“You can’t call it an accident if you try to kill somebody and succeed,” Green’s brother Marvin Green said in court.
“My mom was known as the purple lady,” said Paul Culp Sr. while reading a victim impact statement in court. “She had kids, grandkids and great grandkids. She loved life and was full of happiness.”
by Q13 Fox