Tacoma man gets 20 years for killing man in dispute over portable speaker

A man who stabbed a Tacoma resident to death during a dispute over a portable speaker has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Judge Jerry Costello imposed the sentence for Marcus Thornton on Thursday in Pierce County Superior Court.

A jury convicted Thornton, 39, of second-degree murder last month. Prosecutors argued he stabbed John Scott Ware Jr. to death in September 2014.

Witnesses said Thornton was angry with Ware because he thought the 35-year-old man had stolen a speaker from him, court records show.

Thornton confronted and then attacked Ware as the victim walked in the 1200 block of South State Street, stabbing him with a knife, the records show.

Ware staggered to a nearby house for help but later died.

This story was originally published October 1, 2015 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Tacoma man gets 20 years for killing man in dispute over portable speaker."