Man sentenced to 21 months for fatal Tacoma fight

A man who beat someone to death after the two argued while drinking together last summer was sentenced Wednesday.

Lloyd Gray, 24, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter last month for the death of Emmitt Taylor Jr.

Superior Court Judge Stephanie Arend sentenced Gray to a year and nine months in prison, which is what the prosecution and defense recommended.

According to charging papers:

Police responded July 10 to the 1100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way, where they found Taylor, 59, lying in the street with a head wound.

He died at the scene.

Detectives spoke to a woman at a homeless camp in the area, who said she and Taylor had been drinking together.

Gray joined them, and he and Taylor ended up arguing.

The resulting fight left Taylor on the ground, and when the woman asked if he was OK, Gray told her that he was sleeping.

Taylor’s daughter addressed the court at sentencing, and told Gray she did not want the crime to define him, and that she hoped he would do something positive, deputy prosecutor Jared Ausserer said.

This story was originally published February 8, 2017 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Man sentenced to 21 months for fatal Tacoma fight."