Aristotle Marr given maximum term: 23 years

Aristotle Marr, tearful and asking for a second chance, was sentenced yesterday to the maximum penalty of 23 years in prison for a high-profile bank robbery that left his partner dead in North Seattle on June 22, 2000.

Superior Court Judge Donald Haley acknowledged Marr had support from his family and the community; some even described Marr as a successful businessman.

But if you're a successful businessman, Haley told the courtroom packed with Marr's family and friends, "You don't get a gun and commit a robbery."

In March, Marr, 26, pleaded guilty to assault, burglary, robbery, attempted robbery and two counts of unlawful imprisonment. The plea acknowledged that Marr was involved in the robbery of the Aurora Avenue North Wells Fargo bank during which his accomplice, Daniel Delfierro, was killed in a shootout with police.

Seattle police Officer Wesley Buxton was wounded in the exchange of gunfire.

Marr fled, taking refuge in the home of an elderly couple whom Marr struggled with and took hostage while he arranged for his escape. He fled to Jamaica, where he lived until he turned himself in seven months later.

By pleading guilty, Marr agreed to accept a sentence in the standard range between 17 and 23 years in prison.

Dressed in red jail overalls and with braided hair, Marr spoke for about 10 minutes from written remarks. He asked the judge to "see me as a human who is worthy of a second chance."

Then, he apologized to Buxton; to his two young children, his family and friends; and to the couple he had held hostage, Dick and Ellen Germaine, who were roughed up, bound and gagged for three hours in their home.

"I genuinely regret my actions that caused you so much sorrow," Marr said. "I want you to know I'm not a bad person ... that no one was intended to be harmed. ... Please forgive me as the Lord has."

To his children, both toddlers. Marr said, "I apologize for not being there for you, son," and to his daughter, "Daddy wants you to know your daddy loves you."

"The grass seemed greener on June 22," Marr said, speaking of his motive. "But there is no grass on the other side. It's rocks and stones."

Steve Fogg, deputy prosecutor, asked for the maximum sentence because he said it matches the sophistication and violence of the robbery in which about $150,000 was taken.

Marr is from a well-off family, was a good student and had the support of a large family. "There was no reason for him to turn to crime," Fogg said.

Earlier, some of Marr's family and friends said they thought Marr was not guilty and had been set up by police.

But in letters to Haley asking for a light sentence, Marr's mother, Loraine Harris; his brother, Lorenzo Marr; and his wife, Tia, said while the crime was out of character for Marr, they acknowledged he committed it.

While most of Marr's supporters would not speak to reporters after the sentencing, the Rev. Wayne Perryman, of Mount Calvary Christian Center, criticized the maximum sentence, saying it did not recognize the positive steps Marr took by turning himself in and confessing to the crime.

"It's absolutely terrible," Perryman said.

Dave Birkland can be reached at 206-515-5682 or dbirkland@seattletimes.com