Man convicted in Pierce County fatal shooting is re-sentenced after successful appeal

Originally sentenced to 25 years in prison, a man convicted in a fatal shooting outside a Pierce County convenience store has be re-sentenced to 14 years in prison after a successful appeal.

Clifford Krentkowski was one of six people convicted in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Brandon Morris at a convenience store at South 45th Street and South Puget Sound Avenue on May 1, 2015.

Krentkowski, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was first sentenced in 2016.

The Washington State Court of Appeals ordered a new trial for Krentkowski in June 2019. The appeals court said Krentkowski had ineffective counsel during the original trial.

On Friday, Krentkowski pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received his new sentence.

Pierce County prosecutors cited Krentkowski’s age and maturity at the time of the shooting and his expressions of remorse as reasons for his reduced sentence. Prosecutors also said that while Krentkowski was a passenger in the car during the shooting and had access to a firearm, he did not personally shoot anyone that day.

Also, the 25-year minimum sentence no longer applies to Krentkowski’s case, following a 2017 decision by the Washington Supreme Court that decided sentencing ranges and sentencing enhancements are at the judge’s discretion for juveniles.