Several people in the courtroom Thursday gasped when a judge sentenced Lisa Ferrebee.
Prosecutors had called her the least culpable out of the four who pleaded guilty earlier this month to first-degree robbery charges stemming from an incident that left a man dead from a fall from a ninth floor window at the Vista View Apartments in Charleston.
"It might be argued that you're the one that started all of this," Kanawha Circuit Judge Duke Bloom told Lisa Ferrebee. "The one that stirred all of these other young men up."
Bloom sentenced her to 30 years in prison.
Prosecutors had recommended 15 years. But Bloom said that was "Far and grossly inadequate relative to your participation."
Bryson "B" Ward, of Detroit, was found dead last year outside 1311 Renaissance Circle. His death was the result of a fall from the window of apartment 912, which was rented to Lisa Ferrebee.
Ward had been beaten and robbed of drugs and thousands of dollars. He tried to climb to another apartment and fell, according to prosecutors.
Four people initially had been charged by Charleston police with murder, including Lisa Ferrebee and her son, Tyler Ferrebee. Martez Griffin and Brian Parks also were charged.
Instead, earlier this month, all four of them pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery.
On Thursday, Bloom handed down sentences that resulted in a combined 180 years to the four defendants. Besides Lisa Ferrebee's 30-year sentence, Tyler Ferrebee was sentenced to 40 years; Griffin, 60 years, and Parks, 50 years. They were brought into the courtroom one after the other.
Tyler Ferrebee, 23, was led into the courtroom after his mother's sentencing. He had been the driver the night of the robbery.
Prosecutors recommended he receive a 40-year prison sentence.
His attorney, Herb Hively, asked Bloom to order the 40 years, but to suspend that sentence and, instead, allow him to go to a center for youth offenders. The Anthony Center allows defendants to participate in a program that can last between six months and two years. If he were to fail out of the program, he'd have to serve the 40-year sentence, Hively said.
If Bloom wouldn't do that, Hively asked him to sentence Tyler Ferrebee to 20 years.
Tyler Ferrebee has no prior criminal history, Hively told Bloom. And even though his mother claims she was the first to make a deal with prosecutors, it was actually Tyler Ferrebee who cooperated first, Hively said.
"She had her hearing first, but he was the first to sign the plea agreement," Hively said.
Also, it was Tyler Ferrebee who went to the police station to talk with officers after the incident, his attorney said, noting his client turned over the share of the money he received to police.
"He has made amends with the worst thing he's done in his life," Hively said.
"Your honor ... I'm not that kind of person. I take full responsibility for my actions. I'm very sorry for my actions," Tyler Ferrebee said. "I just want to get back to my kids."
Bloom, though, told Tyler Ferrebee that he had "a great deal of culpability" and sentenced him to 40 years.
"It's interesting that no one so far has expressed any remorse for what happened to the victim in this case," Bloom said.
"Good luck to you," said Bloom, as Tyler Ferrebee was escorted out of the courtroom.
Griffin, 24, held his arms crossed against his chest in front of him as he was walked into the courtroom to be sentenced. Prosecutors hold him most responsible for the incident. They said he delivered the most blows to Ward during the robbery.
He was also who grabbed the money and divided it between the four defendants, said assistant Kanawha prosecutor Adam Petry.
The deal he made with prosecutors was binding, meaning it required Bloom to hand down a 60 year sentence. If not, Griffin would be allowed to withdraw his plea to the first-degree robbery charge.
Griffin's attorney, Clint Smith, didn't say much before his client was sentenced, He asked that Bloom stick to the deal, which Bloom did.
Bloom asked Griffin if he had anything to say.
"An apology for the death of the victim," Griffin responded. "I apologize. I have so many emotions over the fact that he died. I'd like to apologize to my daughter."
When it was his turn, Parks tried to back out of his guilty plea. The agreement he had made with prosecutors was a binding deal, which required a 50-year prison sentence.
Withdrawing from a guilty plea requires a defendant to first provide a "fair and just reason" for doing so, according to Bloom.
Parks said he didn't want to speak Thursday, so Bloom said decision not to allow Parks to back out of the deal was based on previous court proceedings involving the man. Parks was sentenced to 50 years, as the deal called for.
Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1723 or follow @KateLWhite on Twitter.