Arizona Teen gets 16 Years for Killing Adoptive Mom

“A Flagstaff teenager will spend the next 16 years in prison for killing his adoptive mother.

Judge Mark Moran handed down the sentence to Zachariah E. Pine, 18, in Coconino County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon. Pine pleaded guilty in August to one count of manslaughter in the death of 52-year-old Becky L. Pickering earlier this year.

Pine was arrested Feb. 20 after police found his mother lying on the kitchen floor unconscious. She was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead the next day. An autopsy conducted by the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded Pickering died as a result of strangulation.

During his interviews with police, Pine said he crept up behind Pickering and wrapped his arm around her throat, placing her in a choke hold. The teen told investigators it was a “prank” intended to scare his mother into thinking an intruder was in the house because “it’s what she’s most scared of.”

In follow-up interviews, Pine admitted he has problems with impulse control and “explosive” anger. Prior to his arrest, he had been cited by police in Sedona, where his family formerly lived, for domestic violence incidents.

Pine’s stepfather, Roger Pickering, gave a tearful victim impact statement at Tuesday’s hearing. In it, he described Pine as a troubled child with a history of behavioral problems, drug addiction and violent outbursts.

“In the months leading up to her death, Becky confided in her family that she was getting increasingly concerned for her and my safety, that Zach could harm us,” he said. “Still, she continued to love and encourage him.”

He also questioned why Pine did not call 911 immediately when he realized Pickering was not breathing.

“After he killed Becky, he left her lying on the kitchen floor while he tried to conjure up a story,” Pine’s stepfather said. “He didn’t call 911. He called me.”

He also called Pine’s allegations of child abuse “full of lies.”

The prosecution also showed a slideshow of pictures of the victim that brought tears to the eyes of both Pine and his stepfather.

Defense attorney Sarah Erlinder asked the judge to grant Pine leniency, citing his young age and troubled childhood. She explained that Pine was born addicted to methamphetamine and endured physical abuse when he was very young that led to serious mental health problems. Those mental health problems went largely untreated after Pickering adopted him, Erlinder said.

Erlinder went on to ask for the minimum prison sentence of 15 years, citing those factors and Pine’s remorse over the loss of his mother.

“Zach is living a self-imposed life sentence,” Erlinder said.

Pine then gave a tearful statement apologizing for his actions, although he never directly mentioned the victim.

“I would like to start by saying how truly sorry I am,” Pine said, later adding, “I put myself and my family in this situation and I do need to be punished for it.”

Pine claimed he was on methamphetamine when he choked his mother, though investigators never drug-tested him because they saw no signs of impairment.

“There is no excuse for this whatsoever,” Pine said. “But I do feel that if I had not been on drugs at the time, this would not have happened.”

Pine went on to say he intended to better himself in prison before asking the judge to give him a lenient sentence, arguing that would make it easier for him to reintegrate back into society.

“I am very sorry for everything and that everyone had to go through this,” Pine said.

Prosecutor Stacy Krueger responded to Pine’s statement by saying although there was no question Pine was an “incredibly troubled young man,” that did not excuse his actions.

“The defendant ambushed his mother, obviously, with the intent to strangle her,” Krueger said.

Kruger asked the judge to give Pine the maximum possible sentence of 18 years behind bars, citing the financial and emotional harm suffered by the victim’s family, Pine’s criminal history and his escalating acts of domestic violence toward the victim.

“The defendant spent a large part of his own life terrifying his own mother and then he killed her,” she said.

Krueger also said the history of explosive outbursts that led doctors to diagnose Pine with intermittent explosive disorder — combined with his history of refusing to take his medications — made him a danger to society.

The judge agreed with Krueger’s assessment, although he clarified that he was not basing his sentence on hypothetical crimes Pine might one day commit.

“The defendant, currently untreated (and) without psychological help, represents a grave threat to the community should he be released from prison,” Moran said.

Like Pickering’s husband, Moran questioned why it took Pine so long to call 911 while his mother was dying on their kitchen floor. He suggested it was because Pine strangled her intentionally.

“I believe there is strong evidence that the victim suffered greatly while the defendant slowly strangled her to death,” Moran said.

But rather than give Pine the maximum sentence, Moran took the teenager’s history into account. He was especially concerned about Pine’s in utero methamphetamine exposure, his early childhood abuse, the fact that he never got the proper mental health care and the failure of Child Protective Services to intervene.

“Most children are given a chance to succeed,” Moran said. “He never was.””

Flagstaff teen gets 16 years for killing mom[Arizona Daily Sun 10/01/14 By Michelle McManimon]

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