KINGMAN – A Kingman teenager who pleaded guilty in a tragic traffic accident is scheduled to be sentenced to prison on April 15, two days after the first anniversary of the deaths of Tatum Meins, 17 and Sherene “Siri” Walema, 15.
Brady Shuffler, 17, is expected to be taken into custody at the end of the hearing to begin serving an extended period of incarceration under terms of the plea agreement convicting him of two counts each of manslaughter and aggravated assault.
The big question is how much prison time will be ordered. Broad punishment discretion is provided within the plea deal requiring the court to choose from a range of three to 18 years in prison.
Shuffler had been set for sentencing on March 18. Mohave County Superior Court Judge Derek Carlisle, however, exited the case on March 14.
In his related minute order, Carlisle noted he became aware of an undisclosed potential conflict when reading through materials submitted by attorneys in advance of the sentencing hearing. Presiding Judge Steve Moss secured Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Nicholls to handle the sentencing and finish the Shuffler case.
Judge Nicholls conducted a March 22 status conference hearing, informing prosecutor James Schoppmann and defense attorney Brad Rideout that she will work to fully absorb the case.
“Mohave County has sent down the entire file and my staff has been working to get it all together for me to go through it,” Judge Nicholls said. She said she will carefully consider all communication and input, some involving pleas for leniency, others expressing grief and anguish while asking for stiff punishment.
“I read every letter. I read every shred of anything that is presented appropriately in aggravation and mitigation for any sentencing, regardless of the type of crime it is. I always do,” the judge said. “So people don’t need to feel compelled to speak in the courtroom if they are more comfortable just writing it and knowing I’m going to read it and use the same weight I would as if they spoke.”
At the same time, Judge Nicholls said she does not want to prevent or restrict sentencing input from any legitimate party to the case.
Attorneys addressed her question about public safety at the Law and Justice Center in downtown Kingman.
“There’s a very strong presence of court security at all the hearings. There’s the local law enforcement agency. There’s the local law enforcement agency that has presence outside the courtroom and then there’s the local sheriff’s office that’s had at least a few people in the courtroom,” Schoppmann said. “And your Honor, just to be clear, there have been no incidents between the victims and the defendant and we don’t anticipate that, so it’s mostly a precautionary measure mostly for the “looky-loos” if you will.”
Rideout concurred.
“The Kingman Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office have a large show of force at every hearing, again, as a precaution,” he said. “There have been no actual threats that have panned out to be anything.”
There’s no dispute that Shuffler was driving in excess of 100 miles per hour when he lost control of his vehicle that rolled in the 3500 block of Louise Avenue. Meins and Walema were fatally injured while two other teenage Lee Williams High School student athletes were seriously injured, as well as Shuffler.
Public interest is high, triggering heavy attendance expectation for the sentencing hearing. A human traffic jam is expected at the security screening station where the public enters the Justice Center.
“We certainly want to start as soon as possible in the morning, if that’s what the court wants,” Schoppmann said. “There’s going to be some logistical issues of having all these people trying to get through the door when it only opens at 8:00 to try to get seated by 8:30.”
Attorneys will work to ensure that parties with standing are guaranteed seats in what could be a highly attended hearing.
“The courtroom is going to be open to the public to the extent that there’s room,” the judge said. “Priority will be given … to the defendant, the defendant’s family, the victims and the victim families.
An unknown number of others may monitor the hearing electronically. Those arrangements are in the works.
Sentencing will not complete the Shuffler matter. The court has scheduled a next-day hearing on April 16 to address any restitution matters that attorneys cannot resolve by stipulation.
Dave Hawkins
