Mall gunman’s case likely to go to trial

TACOMA – Attorneys for the man accused of shooting seven people at the Tacoma Mall last fall say a plea deal offered by prosecutors is no deal at all, and the case will likely go to trial.

Pierce County prosecutors have suggested that Dominick Maldonado plead guilty to four crimes and serve 56 to 67 years in prison.

He’s currently charged with 15 felonies with maximum penalties that total 192 years.

Defense attorney Sverre Staurset said the offer was insulting to his 20-year-old client.

“There’s no common sense at that prosecutor’s office,” Staurset said.

“Death in prison doesn’t distinguish whether or not you died after you had 57 years or 155 years,” he said. “How can it be an offer to tell a guy, ‘We’ll let you die in prison’? The statistics show that a 20-year-old goes into prison and has a life expectancy of 57 years.”

Deputy Prosecutor Phil Sorensen, who made the offer to Staurset on Thursday, said it offers Maldonado hope of freedom some day.

Staurset said Thursday he had not yet spoken with his client about the offer, and would not be surprised if Maldonado decides to go to trial.

Staurset did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Friday.

Staurset said he had been hoping for a sentence for Maldonado “in the neighborhood of 30 years.” With a 30-year sentence, Staurset said, Maldonado would have had “just a modicum of a chance” that if he behaved in prison he’d be able to see the outside again.

Maldonado went to the mall at midday Nov. 20, a Saturday, and started shooting with two semiautomatic weapons. He injured seven people and held four hostage in an incident that lasted nearly four hours.