Man sentenced in murder case

Stephen Harwood reloaded his single-shot derringer five times as he fatally shot his girlfriend and staged her death to blame it on a hitchhiker, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Harwood, of Thompson Falls, Mont., was sentenced Tuesday to more than 33 years in prison. He pleaded guilty in Yakima County Superior Court to second-degree murder in the July 1, 2009, death of former Yakima resident Sheryl Huntley.

Huntley’s fatal head wound came from a derringer pistol that detectives say Harwood tossed over the Fred Redmon Bridge on Interstate 82 north of Selah.

That same gun would tie him to the murder after it was discovered by state troopers investigating a Richland man’s suicide jump from the bridge less than two weeks after Huntley’s death.

Harwood was originally charged with first-degree murder. But deputy prosecutor Quentin Bowman said he agreed to a reduced charge because evidence of premeditation was largely circumstantial.

“The crime itself is reprehensible beyond what I can say. However, it is also a situation where Mr. Harwood is stepping up and taking responsibility, and that is not something the state overlooks,” Bowman said

Harwood’s public defender, Chad Dold, said he expected his client to work while in prison to repay $10,000 in restitution, mostly for Huntley’s funeral expenses, and to seek treatment for unspecified mental health issues.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what else I can say, but I’m sorry,” Harwood said in court, addressing his comments to Huntley’s two young sons.

The sentence was calculated to leave the 35-year-old Harwood behind bars until he is at least 64 if he receives full credit for good behavior.

The couple had been together for about five years. They were driving to Yakima from Montana to bring a family member back to Montana when Huntley was killed. The number of rounds cited by Bowman included Huntley’s wound, Harwood’s hand injury and rounds fired through the windshield, apparently to back up the story about the hitchhiker.

Harwood drove erratically through Yakima until police contacted him and arranged for Huntley to be taken to the hospital, where she died.

Harwood told sheriff’s investigators that the couple had picked up a Hispanic hitchhiker on I-82 outside of Selah and that the man then attacked them. Harwood was shot in the hand, resulting in blood being blown back into the barrel.

From the start, investigators questioned the account, but there was scant evidence to contradict his description of the incident until the suicide investigation.

About 15 friends and relatives of Huntley’s family attended the sentencing.

Prior to Harwood’s sentencing, Huntley’s mother told Judge James Gavin about her continuing sadness over her daughter’s death. Pam Sterk described her daughter as the one who brought the family together.

“She helped everyone that she knew that needed help,” Sterk said.

Huntley had hoped to see her younger boy graduate from high school and she looked forward to spoiling a grandchild, Sterk said.

Family members remain in counseling to deal with their grief.

“The loss of her is unreal,” Sterk said.