Man Gets 12 Years For Involvement In Roommate's Murder
FOLEY, Minn. (WCCO) -- For the family and friends of Jamie Wylie, a nearly two-year criminal nightmare finally came to an end Wednesday in a Benton County courtroom.
The last of two co-defendants implicated in Wylie's December 2013 murder and disappearance would meet his fate.
"I'd ask for the death penalty if I could," said a tearful widow, Dana Nistler-Wylie.
She was reading a victim impact statement at the sentencing of Travis McKinney, who pleaded guilty in August for aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
McKinney, wearing a white t-shirt, sat motionless as Nistler-Wylie read an emotional 17-minute statement on how men that were thought to be friends of Wylie's would end up shooting him dead with a shotgun.
The other defendant in the case, Joshua Lee Smith, had earlier pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is currently serving a 400-month prison sentence.
But for three long months, suspicion focused on Nistler-Wylie, until her husband's body was discovered lying in a ditch along a rural county road just east of St. Cloud.
Nistler-Wylie continued in court, "You (McKinney) actually participated as all Benton County, myself, surrounding counties and friends were searching and wondering where our beloved Jamie was."
Before his sentence was handed down, McKinney appealed for mercy, and accepted blame.
"I'm here because I know what I did was wrong, I made bad choices, no way can I justify it," he said.
Benton County Attorney Phil Miller asked for the maximum sentence allowed under state guidelines, 216 months in prison.
Judge Michael Jesse agreed, saying the defendant remains a clear danger to society.
"You're accepting responsibility for your poor decisions made, but it's clear to the court you are unable to control your violent and impulsive behavior," Jesse said.
McKinney will have to serve at least 144 months or 12 years in prison before serving out the remaining 72 months of supervised release.