A Lakewood teenager who was 16 when he fatally shot a friend while playing with guns inside a home near American Lake was sentenced Friday to a little more than three-and-half years in state custody.
David Raul Maldonado, now 18, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in November for recklessly causing the June 22, 2023, death of 16-year-old Desmin Jarrett.
The punishment Pierce County Superior Court Judge Susan Adams imposed was below the standard range for defendants prosecuted in similar cases. That decision was recommended by prosecutors and the defense, and Adams said it was supported by the fact that higher courts have clearly set out that the acts of youth are different from adults.
Adams said in deciding Maldonado’s sentence, she had to consider factors of immaturity and impetuosity, the defendant’s environment, family circumstances, peer pressure and factors that support successful rehabilitation.
“You were a young man making foolish, impulsive decisions,” Adams said. “Unfortunately, you had guns at your disposal, and a terrible, terrible tragedy, terrible, terrible thing took place.”