Man sentenced to 30 years for fiery, fatal wreck after Lakewood carjacking

Anthony Hem is lucky to be alive.

That’s what Pierce County Superior Court Judge Edmund Murphy said Friday before he sentenced the 24-year-old to 30 years in prison.

Granted, the judge said, it might not feel that way. But he assured Hem he was fortunate to survive the fiery wreck that landed him behind bars.

Marisa Richie, 26, did not.

Prosecutors said she, Hem and 22-year-old Pierre Jennings severely beat a Lakewood man, stole his truck and led police on a high-speed chase May 10, 2015. It ended when Hem, who was driving, crashed the truck into a utility pole near East 64th Street and Waller Road.

Richie died at the scene.

Deputy prosecutor Greg Greer noted that, in many homicide cases, information about a victim’s life is presented in court. That didn’t happen this time. Little was said at trial about who Richie was, and she didn’t appear to have loved ones to speak for her at Hem’s sentencing.

“This is the loss of a life,” Greer said. “This is a person who had a right, of course, to live her life.”

Hem pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in connection to Richie’s death, as well as to second-degree assault, vehicular assault and trying to elude police.

Last month, Murphy found him guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery after Hem waived his right to a jury on those charges.

Jennings pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and is serving the sentence of 14 years, three months that Judge James Orlando gave him last year.

The man they robbed and beat, Terry Sumey, told the judge he forgave the people who attacked him. He said he was thankful to be alive and that he was sorry Richie died in the wreck.

“I’m trying to do the best that I can to move forward with my life,” he said.

The day of the robbery he had gone fishing with a friend. Later he found Hem and company parked in his assigned spot outside his apartment and asked them to move.

Instead, prosecutors said, they attacked him, causing significant brain injuries and leaving him in critical condition.

His fishing tackle was still in the truck when they stole it, he told the judge.

During his turn to address the court, Hem said: “I’ve been through a lot, and I learned to take responsibility.”

And when Richie’s children are old enough, he said, he’s prepared to tell them what happened to their mother, who he said was like a sister to him.

“I’m willing to sit there and tell them everything one day,” he said.

Murphy told Hem that a prior conviction for fleeing police had jumped out at him as he reviewed Hem’s criminal history.

And, the judge said, “Ms. Richie did not sign up for what happened to her.”

Then he told Hem he can still do some good.

Murphy said that maybe if someone had sat Hem down and shared personal experiences about what happens when you run from police, he would have thought before fleeing.

As the prosecutor said it, Hem nodded.

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Man sentenced to 30 years for fiery, fatal wreck after Lakewood carjacking."