EVERETT — A man who accidentally shot one of his own crew during a drug-related home-invasion robbery in Marysville in 2011 was sentenced Friday to more than two decades in prison.
Johnathan Frohs, 45, of Bonney Lake, likely will die while incarcerated, said his defense attorney, Jon Scott. Frohs weighs 400 pounds and uses a wheelchair due to a hip injury. His street name is “Bigfoot.”
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Bruce Weiss ordered the 21-year sentence as recommended by prosecutors and the defense.
Frohs was charged with manslaughter, robbery, kidnapping, burglary and assault. He pleaded guilty earlier this week.
A number of codefendants in the robbery have pleaded guilty or have been convicted by juries. One more trial is set for next month.
The robbery took place Dec. 1, 2011. Frohs and others held a man and wife at gunpoint inside their home. The attack reportedly was retaliation for a drug rip-off involving some mutual acquaintances.
During the commotion, Frohs shot a man who entered the house wearing a hockey mask.
The man was Patrick “Bucky” Buckmaster, 30, a member of Frohs’ party. Buckmaster’s body was hidden in a shallow grave near Granite Falls.
In a letter to the judge, Buckmaster’s family described him as a good-hearted man who was his mother’s best friend. He had a daughter.
Scott noted that Buckmaster participated in the robbery by choice, and his killing was not intentional. The defense argued that Frohs didn’t mean for the gun to go off.
Only Frohs knows for sure, the judge said. Weiss said he considered a longer sentence because Frohs had returned to crime after a lengthy prison stay for a home-invasion robbery in 1994.
Frohs spoke briefly and said he was sorry for Buckmaster’s death.
“It’s something I have to live with for the rest of my life,” he said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
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