A Milwaukee man who ran from police twice after committing a murder was sentenced Friday to life in prison.
Dwayne Chaney was given the maximum sentence on all charges He will spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder of Michael Prescott.
There were nearly a dozen guards in court after the incident last Friday after Prescott's sister attacked Chaney in court.
The violence erupted when the family of the victim, Michael Prescott, were giving victim impact statements ahead of the sentencing for Prescott's killer, Dwayne Chaney.
Friday, Prescott's mother had a chance to speak in court. She first took the time to apologize to the court, Dwayne Chaney's family and friends and Mr. Chaney himself for the actions of her daughter.
She says she does not condone violence.
During her statement, Rosslind Prescott-McClinton says her son helped get her clean from drugs and alcohol 23 years ago and he was the family's comforter.
"Dwayne has robbed that comfort from me," Prescott-McClinton said. "Dwayne plotted, planned and premeditated how to kill my son. He slashed the tires of his car so he couldn't take off. He laughed his way all through this process. He laughed in our faces. How much compassion did he show? It was a slap in our face for his family to help him escape. [Michael] wasn't supposed to die before me. But from the moment Dwayne killed Michael, I forgave him."
Prescott-McClinton went on to describe how she still suffers fear from her son's death. She says she can't sit in a car too long because she thinks about her son's final moments and what he must have been thinking when Chaney came into the car and shot him. She also left Chaney with her hopes for his future in prison.
"I really want him to find the Lord," Prescott-McClinton said. "Find him like never before. I hope he becomes someone great."
After his attorney spoke to his low IQ and scarring upbringing, Chaney spoke to the court. He refuted his poor intelligence claims from his attorney, saying he's made a lot of progress thanks to his aunt.
He also says he fled because of the quality of his attorney.
"I feel I should have went through the trial with my head held high," Chaney said. "With courage to face my accuser. When instead, out of fear of not being represented well and unfairly, I ran like a coward."
"After a significant, what I will call, manhunt, you did it intentionally," Hon. Carolina Stark said. "You did it to avoid responsibility."
However, the man convicted for murder by a jury of his peers still maintains his innocence.
"You guys say I'm not remorseful but I'm innocent," Chaney said. "I want to say sorry for your loss. I, Dwayne Chaney, send my condolences and pray that you guys find the perpetrator and your lives can move forward effectively."
"I know that he is again, just denying everything he's done but how did I feel about it? I guess I just felt like he wasn't taking responsibility for his actions," Prescott-McClinton said.
However, the judge handed down the maximum sentence on all three charges he faced, including a life sentence with no parole for the murder of Michael Prescott.
"Overall, I have to assess your character as poor," Hon. Stark said. "There is no doubt that all these circumstances, aggravated character of offenses, your poor character, all require the court to conclude that there is a very high need to protect the community from you. A very high need."
Chaney was given 10 years for possession of a firearm and six years for bail jumping. He has 20 days to file an appeal if he wishes to do so.
