2 sentenced in connection to death of Pierce County sheriff’s deputy Daniel McCartney
Cierra McCartney said she teaches her three young sons that every choice they make can affect themselves and those around them.
“Over the last two years our lessons have been about much bigger choices,” she told Superior Court Judge James Orlando on Friday.
She asked the court to hold two women responsible for their choices regarding their roles in the death of her husband, Pierce County sheriff’s deputy Daniel McCartney, who she said “committed his life to making good choices.”
Orlando sentenced Samantha Dawn Jones to 26 years in prison, which is what the state and defense recommended. The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to first-degree murder earlier this year.
The judge also sentenced Brenda Kaye Troyer to 12 months, the high-end of her range, which she has already served. Troyer, 54, pleaded guilty previously to first-degree rendering criminal assistance.
Deputy McCartney, 34, was shot Jan. 7, 2018 while responding to a home invasion in the Frederickson area.
The shooter, Frank Pawul, was sentenced to life without parole in 2018 after he pleaded guilty to aggravated first-degree murder and other crimes.
Cierra McCartney told the court her husband was the “epitome of selflessness” and honor and asked for a maximum sentence.
“We have our entire lives left to live without our hero,” she said.
Defense attorney Amity Bjork noted Troyer’s lack of criminal history. She said Troyer accepts responsibility and is aware “that she cannot go back in time and undo those bad choices.”
Troyer herself, before she was sentenced, apologized for her involvement and said McCartney’s family had suffered the unthinkable.
Jones also said she was sorry for the pain she caused.
Defense attorney Bryan Hershman told the judge that she is “exceedingly remorseful” and that she was not asking for leniency.
He noted that she’s a licensed veterinary technician and has a 7-year-old daughter.
Jones became addicted to painkillers and alcohol at a young age, Hershman said, and he called her addiction “the genesis of this case.”
“My client did not pull the trigger,” he said. “That gentleman has already been sentenced, and he received what he should have.”
When it was Jones’ turn to speak, she told the court: “I was living so recklessly, and I understand that that’s why this happened. I need to be held accountable.”
She said when she has to answer tough questions from her daughter on the phone, she thinks about what McCartney’s family has lost.
Jones also acknowledged the loss to the Sheriff’s Department.
She said she didn’t know Pawul and another man were armed and that she didn’t intend for an armed robbery to happen or for anyone to get hurt.
“My intentions that night are irrelevant, and they no longer matter,” she said. “What matters is what actually happened and how it all started. I know that this started with me and my addiction.”
Court records give this account:
Jones traded an electronic tablet for heroin, but the dealer withheld some of the drugs because Jones did not have the charger.
Ultimately Jones went to the dealer’s home with Pawul and Henry Carden — men who had allegedly robbed drug dealers together before.
Troyer drove them. Pawul allegedly told Troyer he was going there to buy a car.
She and Jones dropped the men off then left.
Carden and Pawul broke into the home and took cash, drugs and other items from the people inside, including Jones’ tablet.
The residents called 911, McCartney responded, and soon radioed, “Shots fired.”
Other deputies arrived and found McCartney with a fatal gunshot wound. Carden was found nearby with multiple gunshot wounds, including a self-inflicted one that killed him.
Ballistics test results showed the bullet that killed McCartney was fired from a handgun found about 175 feet away, along a trail of belongings investigators said they could link to Pawul.
Deputy prosecutor Kawyne Lund told the court that the state has never alleged Jones intended for anyone to die. But when you start a criminal act, Lund noted: “You don’t know how it’s going to end.”
Lund told the court that, in addition to driving, Troyer was accused of providing information to Pawul before and after the murder. Her plea statement said she provided information about the location of law enforcement to help Pawul avoid being apprehended.
Before he handed down the sentences Friday, Orlando said it takes a special person to be in law enforcement.
He noted McCartney was responding to a 911 call about a home invasion, involving guns, in a residence where young children were present.
And he was responding by himself “in an area of the county that is under-served in terms of law enforcement,” Orlando said.
The judge also noted that he read letters from McCartney’s sons — ages 7, 8 and 11 — and that he hadn’t been able to get through them without tearing up.
“There is no sentence that can justly and adequately deal with the loss of deputy McCartney,” he said. “This community feels that. ... I am so, so sorry for your loss.”
This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 3:23 PM.
