Meeko Carraway was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for his role in the shooting death of 29-year-old Darrel Hendy.
Just what Carraway’s role was though isn’t clear; the statement of facts about the case which he made to the court as part of his plea deal remains under seal and neither prosecutors, defense attorneys, nor Carraway himself made any statements at sentencing.
Cararaway was one of three men ultimately charged in Hendy’s death: Carraway pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed; the others, Corey Yates and Chamontae Walker, are scheduled for trial in July on a charge of first-degree murder.
According to MPD Detective Gabriel Truby, who testified at a preliminary hearing in April, investigators believe that Walker, 35, was upset with Hendy for allegedly stealing a bracelet. Carraway, a homeless youth living with Walker, told Walker where Hendy was, took the handgun and ammunition that Walker handed him and shortly thereafter shot Hendy, the arrest warrant for Walker states.
At sentencing Wednesday, Judge Thomas Motley admonished Carraway for being a “follower.”
“I am extremely concerned about you,” Motley said. “You took a life just by following, not understanding the significance of taking a human life. You have some hard decisions to make on how you want to life your life versus other people living your life for you.”
A sentencing memorandum said Carraway’s involvment in Hendy’s death, and other criminal activity “is sadly unsurprising.”
The report states:
…in 1999, when [Carraway] was seven years old, his father strangled his mistress to death and cut off her head with a box cutter in [Carraway’s] childhood home. Upon information and belief, [Carraway] and his mother came home during this process, as his father was cleaning up the bathroom… News reports demonstrate that his mother acted as the star witness in a prosecution against his father, who was convicted and is now serving fifty years to life in state prison. Under all these circumstances, it is not difficult to imagine how or why [Carraway] began abusing drugs at age twelve and then began to associate with criminal peers and lead a criminal life.
In sentencing Carraway to 25 years, Motley asked him to begin considering his life outside prison.
“This is very devestating, what you’ve done,” he told the 19-year-old. “But you will be out and the question is what do you want to do with the rest of your life?”
Carraway did not answer.
