Tacoma man sentenced to 13 years for deadly 2013 shooting
A Tacoma man who pleaded guilty to taking part in the shooting death of a Parkland resident three years ago was sentenced Friday to 13 years, four months in prison.
Elika Omeli, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and first-degree robbery just minutes before Superior Court Judge Brian Tollefson sentenced him to the term agreed upon by Pierce County deputy prosecutor Bryce Nelson and defense attorney Sunni Ko.
According to court records, Omeli accompanied Thomas Sterling Potts Jr. to the home of Clarence Tate on Sept. 5, 2013. Potts was angry at Tate for allegedly having sex with Potts’s girlfriend, court records show.
Prosecutors believe Potts shot Tate, 49, at Omeli’s prompting before the two fled in a pickup truck allegedly driven by Cheyenne Caulk, 32.
Authorities believe Potts later shot himself in the leg to set up a self-defense claim, court records show. He is charged with second-degree murder and is awaiting trial.
Caulk is charged with rendering criminal assistance and also is awaiting trial.
Tollefson ordered Friday that Omeli’s sentence in the Tate case not begin until he finishes serving a two year, five month sentence he received in 2014 in a stolen-car case.
Omeli declined to make a statement on his own behalf during Friday’s sentencing hearing.
Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644, @TNTAdam
This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 4:25 PM with the headline "Tacoma man sentenced to 13 years for deadly 2013 shooting."