He thought she’d stolen from him, so he shot her dead in Spanaway. Here’s his sentence
A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting a woman to death in Spanaway because he suspected her of stealing thousands of dollars worth of cash and illegal drugs.
Brian King, 40, was sentenced Thursday in Pierce County Superior Court for second-degree murder. He pleaded guilty to that charge last month for the Oct. 12, 2021 killing of 28-year-old Krystal Storm LeBoeuf.
Attorneys for the prosecution and defense both recommended that sentence length, which is within the standard range for defendants prosecuted in similar cases. According to court records, King will simultaneously serve two years, 10 months in prison for a separate case in which he pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary for breaking into a Tacoma home in February 2021 and assaulting a woman while armed.
King was arrested three days after LeBoeuf was found lying in a Spanaway road with gunshot wounds to the head and torso. Court documents say investigators used surveillance video of the shooting and text conversations between the victim and three people, including King, to identify him as the gunman.
In an interview with detectives from Pierce County Sheriff’s Department after his arrest, King admitted that LeBoeuf had recently been living with him, and he was angry with her because he suspected that she and someone else stole from him, according to the declaration for determination of probable cause.
It was estimated that $10,000 to $15,000 of cash and narcotics were stolen from King. According to the probable cause document, LeBoeuf denied stealing from King, and it was another person who actually took the drugs and cash.
Investigators searched King’s house after his arrest and recovered heroin, methamphetamine and unidentified pills packaged for sale, records state. Also found were a Ruger 10-22 rifle reported stolen from Tacoma, a hooded sweatshirt similar to the one worn by the shooter, a 9 mm cartridge; and a note that read, “Some shit went down. Find her.”
In a court filing, defense attorneys for King wrote that he turned to a life of dealing drugs after he started using methamphetamine and heroin daily in 2020 and 2021 to numb the pain of physical and mental health issues he faced as a result of serving in the U.S. Army for 11 years. According to a sentencing memorandum, King suffered a back injury while on one of four tours to Iraq as a diesel mechanic, and he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
The defense attorneys wrote that King also developed COPD, and they said it was likely due to him being stationed near burn pits while in Iraq.
“While none of this excuses the actions he took that led him to this court, it does help to provide a context for him and why the agreed recommendation is appropriate for him, for those affected by the crimes, and for the community at large,” the document states.
