Video Story
Watch VideoConvicted killer wants shorter sentence
Story By: Nicole Vandeputte
Source: KOAA
It was 7 years ago, on Sunday, that lives were changed forever by a deadly shooting rampage in Fremont County. A sheriff's deputy was killed. A Florence police officer will never walk again.
On Monday, one of the twins convicted of these crimes was back in court, asking for a reduced sentence. It was another blow to the victims who are still hurting. Cpl. Toby Bethel says, "For someone to come here, who put me in this chair, and he has the right come here, and get out of his cell."
Bethel was one of many who packed the Canon City courtroom on Monday. In his wheelchair, he sat just inches behind Joel Stovall. Bethel says, "The coward wouldn't even look me in the eye. He shot me in the back, and he wouldn't even look eye to eye with me."
It was 7 years ago, almost to the day, that Bethel was maimed, and another life ended. Attorneys for Stovall call it coincidence, that on this anniversary, the victims face the convicted killer again.
Misty Bethel is Cpl. Bethel's wife. She says, "I think it's a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money to bring that animal down here in the first place." Sheryl Schwartz agrees. She's the widow of slain sheriff's deputy Jason Schwartz. She says, "How do you not consider the date? It follows September 11th. How do you forget that, even 7 years later?"
On September 28, 2001, Fremont County sheriff's deputy Jason Schwartz arrested twins, Michael and Joel Stovall for reckless endangerment. They managed to shoot deputy Schwartz to death. It was during a massive manhunt the Stovalls shot Corporal Bethel with the Florence police department. The wounds left him paralyzed.
Outside the courtroom, there's a line of people. Cpl. Bethel says, "Each and every body back there, it affected a lot of people."
The twins were sentenced to life, plus 184 years. Joel is essentially asking the judge to set aside his plea agreement, so he can argue for a shorter sentence. Cpl. Bethel says, "We don't ever get to forget. We get to struggle every day."
At the hearing on Monday, Stovall asked to represent himself, because he claimed his attorney was negligent in his case. Later, he asked for his attorney back. The judge hasn't decided if Stovall will even get a hearing to argue for a reduced sentence.
