Acquitted Cop Killer Gets 15 Years For Gun Charges

Yesterday, a judge sentenced Robert Ellis, who was acquitted last month in the 2007 murder of police officer Russel Timoshenko, to 15 years for weapons possession. Timoshenko was fatally shot when he and his partner stopped Ellis and two other men in a stolen car; jury did find Ellis guilty of the lesser weapons charge, while another jury found his friend Dexter Bostic guilty of murder and a mistral was called for third suspect Lee Woods. Timoshenko's mother had asked the judge to impose a 45-year sentence, noting, "For me and my family, only the death penalty would be justice for Russel. Unfortunately for me, the death penalty is not an option.

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By Jen Chung in News on January 15, 2009 10:24 AM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

A lot can happen to a cop killer in 15 years in the can...

The Edge

OJ was acquitted the first time around too.

editedby

if he's acquitted, he's not a cop killer.

UnrepentantFenian

You are stupid.

He is a murderer.

kane

Look, I'm not defending this guy at all, but to kill someone you have to pull a trigger. This guy had guns on him, but did not pull them or shoot them (according to court records). By definition he is not a killer, his douchebag friends are.

UnrepentantFenian

That may be what your logic dictates, but that is not how the law is written. It is more of a in for a penny in for a pound deal.

Guest

Really? Are you a lawyer or judge or some other legal consult? The law does mention things like guilt by association, but it does not mention that guilt as being equally distributed. If you and your friend are walking down the street, and he pulls out a gun and kills someone, would you want to be charged with murder?