BELFAST, Maine — The 21-year-old convicted of manslaughter in August for the 2011 shooting death of his friend was ordered Wednesday afternoon to serve 9 years in prison for the crime.
A Waldo County jury two months ago found Luke Bryant, 21, of Belfast, guilty of killing 19-year-old Tyler Seaney. Bryant had shot Seaney in the neck with a shotgun the evening of Feb. 19, 2011, at Bryant’s apartment on a remote country road. Seaney’s girlfriend, who also was in the apartment at the time of his death, told police after the shooting that Bryant and Seaney used to play the “scare game,” during which they would point and dry-fire guns at each other in order to startle the other person. Bryant told police that he hadn’t known the shotgun was loaded when he aimed it at his friend and pulled the trigger.
During the trial, defense attorney Steven Peterson of Rockport asserted that his client had been pressured by police into admitting he had played the controversial game.
Justice Robert Murray handed down Bryant’s sentence at the end of the Waldo County Superior Court hearing Wednesday. He sentenced Bryant to 15 years in prison with all but 9 years suspended. Bryant also was ordered to serve four years probation when he gets out, pay $3,158 as restitution for the crime and forfeit the firearm used to kill Seaney. Bryant is not allowed to own, possess or use any firearm or dangerous weapon, according to court documents filed Wednesday in connection with his sentencing.
“The state’s very satisfied with the sentence imposed here today,” Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea said Wednesday afternoon after the hearing was concluded. “Certainly, it reflected the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct and the high level of recklessness involved in Tyler Seaney’s death.”
Since his August conviction, Bryant has been held without bail. He faced up to 30 years in prison, with a minimum sentence of four years.
During the sentencing hearing, family and friends of both Bryant and Seaney addressed the court.
After the conviction, Bryant’s cousin, Jasmine Sawyer, said that “there were two lives lost in this situation.”
Members of Bryant’s church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Belfast, said that he is a good person who made a mistake.
Seaney’s family members told the Bangor Daily News in mid-August that his loss has left a hole in their lives that they haven’t started to figure out how to fill.
They described Tyler Seaney as a colorful, compassionate and inspirational young man who was ready to begin basic training for the Army and who has left them with memories that make them smile. They said that he was a teenager who constantly joked around, was kind to troubled teens and who blossomed on stage as an actor.
“It’s taken away so much,” Christopher Seaney said of his brother’s death. “It changes everything.”
“Mistake” or no mistake about it, IMHO, taking a life thru stupid negligence with a firearm deserves the maximum sentence without any years suspended…..
I respect your “IMHO” PabMainer, you know, we all have opinions.
My “humble opinion” is that I wouldn’t want to be the judge, either parent, any sibling or relative of either party. I also wouldn’t want to be either attorney (or any attorney for that matter) on any side.
The only thing that I might do as an parent, educator or friend is to try to plaster this story all over the place for our youth to read so an incident like this doesn’t happen.
I’m as pro gun as pro gun gets as long as they are in the hands of responsible human beings.
Look I want everyone whose even thinking of agreeing with this guy ^ to read this first.
1. it was an ACCIDENT
2. none, absolutely NONE of you people know the full story, tyler was his best friend, basically brother. I like the quote ” two lives were lost here” from jasmine, it’s true, luke lost a piece of himself that day, it was tragic, and he has to deal with that every day for the rest of his life.
3. only agree with the first guys comment if you would say that to your own family were it them going through this. this has been hard on a lot of people so think before you open your mouths and pass judegment.
If you want to comment about my posted opinion then at least be adult enough to directly reply to me….the only ones that know the full story are the ones who were there that tragic night….it seems you are forgetting that one family is dealing with the loss of a loved one and that can never be given back to them….this man will one day have his freedom given back to him….but too quickly as stated IMHO….
9 year for a tragic accident yet only 7 years for a sociopath setting a homeless man on fire?
If he shot his friend while drunk in an argument over drugs he would have received less than half this time.
” During the trial, defense attorney Steven Peterson of Rockport asserted
that his client had been pressured by police into admitting he had
played the controversial game.”
Does it really matter? Of course not. He is guilty of taking another life but I wish he was paying for it. 9 Years is a total joke.
There was no way this young man/kid would get any justice from that judge unless of course he was a female (in which case he wouldn’t have even been charged). This judge has a track record of brutality towards males. My heart goes out to the families of both these young men. There is no “justice” in this situation only more “injustice”.
Tyler Seaney was my best friend. The loss of him was tragic. Luke was also a close friend. The two of them were like brothers to me and they were brothers to each other. I thought I would feel justice when Luke was behind bars, but indeed I do not. Luke was always there when I needed a shoulder to cry on, he was always there to pick me up in the middle of the night if I just needed to get away, he was kind but I hated him for what he did. It was stupid, and ruthless and it voided our friendship. If you were to ask me a year ago when the accident happened I would have said give him life in prison, but yesterday as I walked out of the court room I felt as though two lives were lost. 9 years is enough. He is young, it will shape him for ever. Whether he did it on purpose or not, TYLER SEANEY would not want him to rot in jail. Tyler loved Luke and would do anything for him. Its sick and people NEED to learn from this tragedy and grow from it.