Last of ‘Manila 5’ sentenced to 7 years
The last person remaining to be sentenced in the ‘Manila 5’ homicide case received a sentence of seven years on Thursday.
Catherine Fode, who had previously pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and admitted to a special allegation of having a firearm during the homicide of Tyson Eduardo Claros, 20, on or about Dec. 12, 2016, received six years for the voluntary manslaughter charge and an additional year for the special allegation.
“This was an agreement made by our office in exchange for her testimony against her other co-defendants should any of them go to trial,” Deputy District Attorney Carolyn Schaffer wrote in an email. “Each other co-defendant has since pled guilty. The terms of the agreement left it up to the judge to select the term of imprisonment. She was facing a maximum of 12 years in state prison (11 for the voluntary manslaughter plus one for the enhancement.)”
The District Attorney’s Office was requesting Fode receive the maximum sentence while Fode’s attorney, Neal Sanders, requested Fode be placed on probation, Schaffer wrote.
Based on “the range of sentencing options available” and weighing “a variety
of aggravating and mitigating circumstances,” Schaffer wrote Judge Christopher Wilson decided on the middle term of seven years.
“The defendant was given credit for 1,607 days against her sentence for the time she has already served in custody plus additional conduct credits,” Schaffer wrote. “She will serve the remainder in state prison once transported.”
Fode’s co-defendants — Tamara Nicole Thomson, Brandon James Mitchell, Cesar Octavio Valenzuela, and Hector GodoyStandley — each accepted plea deals and were sentenced earlier this year.
Thomson received 14 years, Michell received 27 years, Valenzuela received 13 years and GodoyStandley received four years.
During the preliminary hearing, a witness testified
that Thomson asked her and Claros to give her a ride to McKinleyville, taking state Route 255 through Samoa. As they reached Manila, the witness said Thomson pulled out a silver revolver and made them pull over, at which they were ambushed by the other four co-defendants.
The witness said she crossed over to the other side of state Route 255
when she heard a series of shots and saw Valenzuela shoot Claros. The co-defendants then took off with both cars, she testified.
Cross-examination from Sanders suggested the crime was a result of Claros allegedly molesting Mitchell and Fode’s 3-yearold daughter, an allegation that was never proven.