OAKLAND — An Oakland man was sentenced to 15 years in state prison as part of a plea deal with Alameda County prosecutors that resulted in murder charges against him being dropped, court records show.
Michael Stafford, 38, pleaded no contest to manslaughter in the 2019 shooting death of 31-year-old David Robert Willis, Stafford’s former roommate. Stafford was transferred to prison March 24 and is currently serving his sentence at North Kern State Prison in Delano, records show.
Police say Stafford shot and killed Willis during an argument in May 2019, outside Willis’ apartment on the 700 block of 29th Street in Oakland. The two had been roommates until Willis moved out days earlier.
When Stafford was arrested, he claimed that Willis came at his with a knife and that he pulled a revolver. He said the two struggled over the gun, that he shot Willis in the chest, and then fired again into Willis’ forehead after he lunged forward.
Stafford dragged Willis body into the apartment, then threw the gun in Lake Chabot after the shooting, he reportedly told police.
An Oakland police detective wrote in a sworn court statement, though, that the physical evidence didn’t match with Stafford’s account of the homicide.
As part of the deal, Stafford gets credit for roughly two years and 10 months worth of time served in the jail, including credits for good behavior. Prison records say he’ll be eligible for parole starting in 2029.
Stafford was also ordered to pay around $5,700 in restitution as part of the plea deal, court records show.
Source: www.mercurynews.com