In 2008, three teens were found guilty of first-degree manslaughter in Seattle; one of them faced possible charges again on Dec. 2 for the alleged sale of crack cocaine. The 20-year-old man was taken into custody on the drug charge after law enforcement personnel spotted him at a park during an unrelated incident. Authorities found a small amount of cocaine and just over $200 when he was detained.

The accused man was also convicted in 2012 for unlawful possession of a firearm and sentenced to prison in the case. In 2009, the then-15-year-old and his two co-defendants, both 16, entered guilty pleas in the death of a 53-year-old man. He received a sentence of about nine months in custody at a juvenile detention facility but was given credit for about seven months that he had already served. His co-defendants entered a guilty plea to a separate robbery and received a total sentence of about 18 months with credit for seven months.

Those charges stemmed from a robbery that went wrong after a man was beaten and later passed away. Local residents knew the man because he played his tuba at Seattle events. One co-defendant has a criminal record that includes of a number of offenses while the other co-defendant is in currently in jail on a $5 million bond for a murder charge stemming from when a man was shot at a Bellevue bar.

When someone has a prior history of criminal convictions, authorities often want to enhance penalties against them. A criminal defense attorney might be able to argue for reduced penalties for drug possession offenses, especially when the charge doesn't involve drug sales or trafficking.

Source: Yakima Herald, "Seattle's Tuba Man killer arrested again", December 03, 2013