St. Paul man gets nearly 36 years for killing over SUV, watch and ring

Looking frail but stoic, Dorothea Parker sat in a St. Paul courtroom Tuesday morning and told the man who murdered her son: "I can't forget, but I can forgive."

Ramsey County District Judge John Van De North had strong words for Tyvarus Lindsey before sentencing the 25-year-old St. Paul man to almost 36 years in prison for the death of Leon Tyrise Brooks.

"You had a home, you had affection," the judge told Lindsey. "It didn't seem to make any difference."

Lindsey was convicted Oct. 23 of two counts of second-degree murder in the April 24, 2005, killing. Brooks and two women were leaving an after-hours party near Selby Avenue and Chatsworth Street in St. Paul when robbers tried to steal his sport-utility vehicle. Failing that, they shot Brooks three times as he ran and took a custom-made watch and diamond-encrusted ring from him.

Police later found photos of Lindsey and an accomplice, Vincent L. Smith, posing with the ring and watch. Smith pleaded guilty in November to second-degree murder and will be sentenced Jan. 8.

On Tuesday, defense attorney John Pecchia asked the judge to delay Lindsey's sentencing until after Smith's sentencing so that the two prison terms can be similar. But prosecutors said the men's culpability is significantly different and there is no reason the two sentences should be the same.

Van De North denied Pecchia's motion and recounted Lindsey's criminal record as an adult: auto theft, drugs, assault and lying to police. The judge said Lindsey began committing serious crimes at age 9 and has "the worst juvenile record I've ever seen."

Parker, Brooks' mother, said her son's death has taken "a great toll on me." She said she is caring for her 80-year-old mother and her son's toddler, who will turn 2 on Friday. He also has a 12-year-old son.

"I just pray he finds it sinful, what he did," she said of Lindsey, who displayed no emotion throughout the hearing.

The victim's uncle, the Rev. Wilburt Brooks, said the family "is grateful to the Lord" to have some closure.

"I'm just hopeful this young man will find salvation," he said of Lindsey. "Hopeful he'll do something with his life, that he'll learn from this."

Speaking of the murder, Van De North addressed the community:

"This has got to stop," he said. "This kind of conduct on the streets is unacceptable. ... We've got to learn some lesson from [Brooks'] death. We have got to get a grip on this."

Lindsey will have to serve almost 24 years of his sentence of 35 years and 9 months before he is eligible for parole.

Pat Pheifer • 651-298-1551