MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 17-year-old boy has been sentenced to over 16 years in prison for taking part in the brutal beating of a St. Paul man last August, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.
Cindarion De’Angelo Butler, of St. Paul, was 16 at the time of the beating, but he was tried as an adult. On Tuesday, Judge Joanne Smith sentenced him to 196 months in prison.
The jury previously found him guilty of first-degree assault and first-degree aggravated robbery in connection to the Aug. 4 beating that left 27-year-old Raymond Widstrand with injuries that required reconstructive head surgery.
On the night of the beating, police found Widstrand lying on Payne Avenue with blood coming from his nose and mouth, a criminal complaint said. Witnesses told officers that a group of people attacked Widstrand when he walked by a fight taking place between some women.
The jury found aggravating factors in the guilty counts, but they did not find Butler guilty of two crime for the benefit of a gang charges.
Last October, a 15-year-old boy was sentenced to two years in a juvenile facility after admitting to taking part in the beating.
Charles Redding, the last juvenile defendant, will make his appearance in court Wednesday. He was certified to be tried as an adult on Feb. 27, 2014.
The attorney’s office says Butler’s sentence was double the State’s guidelines on grounds that the victim was particularly vulnerable at the time of the incident. An additional contributing factor is the fact that the offense was committed by three or more active participants.
