Joseph M. Lowery looks over court documents with his lawyer at his sentencing hearing yesterday.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The prison sentence he was given is almost as long as he is old.
Before the judge made the decision, Joseph M. Lowery, the 20-year-old who grew up in Winlock, turned toward his ex-girlfriend sitting in the very back of the courtroom and apologized for shooting her in the back.
“I hope you recover to the best of your abilities,” Lowery said. “I’m sorry for what I did, you didn’t deserve it. I truly am.”
Joseph M. Lowery
Shyann Gallimore, also 20, and also a resident of the small South Lewis County town, chose not to make a statement to the court.
Lowery was arrested in July after the shooting on the outskirts of Winolequa Park in Winlock.
Prosecutors said Lowery and a 16-year-old boy found Gallimore on a Saturday evening; she was alone, sitting next to a stream and talking on her phone with a friend she’d asked to pick her up.
Authorities said Lowery leaned into some bushes from some 50 feet away and took aim with a 22 caliber pistol, pulled the trigger and then ran off.
“She underwent a procedure to have the bullet removed,” Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said. “She won’t know what the long term consequences are until time passes.”
Halstead told the judge, yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court, the defendant made a full confession.
He was cooperative with the sheriff’s office, going through a videotaped reenactment of what transpired, defense attorney David Arcuri said.
“What I thought was most striking, was the matter of fact, honest way Mr. Lowery just admitted it,” Arcuri said.
His client was contrite from the beginning, Arcuri said.
Lowery pleaded guilty last week to attempted first-degree murder. As part of the plea deal, Halstead dropped a firearm enhancement, which would have added five years to the sentence.
Halstead and Arcuri both recommended to the judge he be given 220 months – 18 years and four months.
Judge Richard Brosey agreed.
Before Lowery was taken back down to the jail, Brosey ordered him to have no contact for life with the victim. He also gave him three years of supervision following his release from prison.
Lowery’s mother and other family members were in the audience during yesterday’s hearing, but declined to comment.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office in its investigation conveyed to prosecutors Lowery had grown tired of his former girlfriend disrespecting the “Juggalo family.” They said he identified himself as a Juggalo, a name for fans of performance artists called the Insane Clown Posse.
Arcuri after the hearing said he wouldn’t discuss what he understood to be the reason his client did what he did.
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For background, read “Prosecutors: Winlock park shooter grew tired of ex-girlfriend disrespecting gang” from Tuesday July 21, 2015, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
I do know Joseph Lowery and everyone involved in this case and I think the punishment fits the crime for him and the other person involved he is not a good guy even if you here he is he proved he is not with his actions and there is way more involved in this case then just he shot someone in the back from a ways away hiding in the bushes he also claims it was Juggalo related took a minor with him and involved that child and more he is a monster that deserves to be where he is with the sentence he got Joe is mentally competent obviously he turned around in court and apologized to the victim taking responsibility for his actions and showing it
I feel that the sentence was unjust 10 years and no more would have been appropriate in this case especially by the defendants age. I do not Know Joseph Lowrey, I have heard of him and have heard he is a good person. I hope he gets out early on good behavior as well. I agree with “RightyTighty” David Arcuri is about the most worthless lawyer in history. The Enbody & Dugaw firm is the worst I have ever seen. BustyBabe or Kathy Cooper, why are you so hateful?
I think his sentence is fair enough. I hope he gets out early on good behavior. Comes from a great family…just made a poor stupid decision he will live with for the rest of his life…I’m glad he’s doin his time and glad he apologized to his ex girlfriend. No ones perfect..not one single one of you who commented on this is prefect.
Yo you guys are all fucking stupid i know him and he deserves what he gets wasnt thinking bout his choices and now he got what he got so yall can shut the fuck up
Not harsh enough.
Put him in a padded cell and pipe in loud music for 10 years.
Split it up between The Carpenters and The Capitan and Tennille. That ought to do the trick for a ICP disciple.
BB: You obviously have strong man hate going on there. I believe in the concept of equal justice. This kid got a much longer sentence because he is dumb and didn’t have an adequate defense lawyer.
In my community we had a young man stabbed in the back 9 times and the then Lewis County chief detective protected the stabber from prosecution. No justice for the victim there – excessive punishment for the shooter in this case.
@XDs– So you think the person who shot you got too harsh of a sentence? Bill is saying,that this punk got too long of a sentence cause “the kid had warped thinking ,did horrible crime but 18 years for attempted murder is too long”.
You all bitching bout public defenders – THEY ARE LAWYERS WITH PRIVATE PRACTICES YET TAKE TIME AWAY FROM MAKING THE MONEY TO HELP THE LOWER INCOME CASES! THEY DONT HAVE TO TAKE ANY CASES,THEY CHOOSE TO….OH,BTW, IF A CLIENT WANTS THE CASE TO GO ON AND ON,THEY CAN MAKE IT LIKE THAT,NOT THE LAWYERS
“
I agree with Bill. I was shot & the shooter only got 2nd degree assault and 90 days with a 36 month firearm enhancement.
@Bill S– YOUR A DUMBASS!!!!! AND YOUR COMMENT MAKES ME THINK YOUR A ALLEGED WOMAN BEATER/BULLY
Although this kid has some warped thinking and did a horrible act, it seems to me this sentence is a bit stiff for the crime of a attempted murder.
I agree that the public defenders are lazy and just want to make a quick deal. Acuri probably spent about 15 minutes on this case. A good private criminal law attorney would have gotten him 10 with chance for parole in 6 or 7 which would have been more reasonable.
THIS MONSTER SHOULD OF GOTTEN LIFE!! I HOPE HE GETS HIS LIFE TAKEN WHILE IN PRISON!!! AND IF ANY OF HIS FAMILY MEMBERS OR FRIENDS START BOO- HOOING ON HERE, WELL ILL COMMENT THEN
None of the public pretenders win cases. They just send you up to the big house. Just like Don Blair the ex prosacutor turned public pretender. This is how the Kangaroo Court System works here in Jewish County. The Bink Onkier loves it. Its all is the family of corruption.
Scottie Pippen with the assist. SLAMMA JAMMA! i love this guy. He just keeps making damning statements about his clients to media and getting them maximum time behind bars virtually everytime. Has he ever won a case for any of his clients? Part of a plea deal?. Something stinks. He must have the worst lawyer rating in the state. Did he convince his client he was mentally competent? I believe he did. Leveraging hopeless notions of life imprisonment on them and then ‘convinced’ and ‘coached’ to make statements that would play out in the states favor in exchange for reduced sentencing. Many are frustrated by his lack of council as he keeps odd hours in the office and is unreachable on the phone until morning of trial where he hands out dire news that he didnt have adequate time to prepare a defense. Pretender needs to find a different line of work. A mime maybe? He seems to like clowns.