The teen convicted of stealing a Lamborghini belonging to celebrity chef Guy Fieri in 2011 was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for attempted murder.
Max Wade, 19, was convicted last year in Marin County, Calif., Superior Court of attempting to kill the boyfriend of the girl he had a crush on.
Judge Kelly Vieira Simmons rejected motions to drop charges and hold a new trial, and handed down the maximum sentence plus 21 years and four months for premeditation and using a firearm.
"He deserves it," Simmons said. "The crime was very, very serious. This is not a spur-of-the-moment loss of temper. This is a planned act."
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He was tried as an adult, partly because he was also convicted of auto theft and being in possession of a stolen vehicle after he famously rappelled from the roof of British Motors in San Francisco and stole Fieri's $200,000 yellow Lamborghini.
Wade had the Lamborghini on the day of his arrest, apparently driving to see Eva Dedier, 18. He was convicted of trying to kill Dedier's boyfriend, Landon Wahlstrom, 19, firing five shots into Wahlstrom's pickup while Wahlstrom and Dedier sat in the car in front of Wahlstrom's home on April 13, 2012.
"I feel that Ms. Dedier and Mr. Wahlstrom are two of the luckiest people on Earth," Simmons said, explaining the harsh sentence. "I cannot believe they are alive. It is not Mr. Wade's fault that they are alive. He thought about the crime for months. He planned the attack carefully. That's kind of scary to see how much work Mr. Wade put into these crimes."
Wade was acquitted of trying to kill Dedier, with whom the prosecution said he was infatuated and tried to kill after finding out she was dating Wahlstrom.
His lawyer, Charles Dresow, said he planned to appeal the ruling, arguing that wade was a neglected child who grew up in a violent home and should not be treated as an adult.
[San Francisco Chronicle]
