Federal judge sentences hit man to 30 years in prison

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced Timothy Suckow to 30 years in prison for the assassination of a Spokane businessman in a case that has ties to the North Dakota oil patch.

U.S. District Court Judge Salvador Mendoza sentenced 52-year-old Timothy Suckow on Friday for shooting Douglas Carlile in his upscale home in Spokane two years ago.

The Spokesman-Review reports that Mendoza sentenced two other men who pleaded guilty in the murder-for-hire plot, and delayed sentencing on a third.

Mendoza agreed with prison sentences of 10 years for Robby Wahrer, 35, who drove the van Suckow used to flee the scene of the shooting. He gave a 12-year sentence to Lazaro Pesina, 41, who was prepared to break in to the Carliles' home with Suckow.

Mendoza will sentence Robert Delao later.