Bellingham man sentenced for plan to kill wife's boyfriend

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — A Bellingham man charged with trying to kill his estranged wife's new boyfriend on Valentine's Day has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.


The Bellingham Herald reports (http://bit.ly/2fytrab ) that 44-year-old Patrick Allen Leach was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to attempted murder as part of a plea deal.

Authorities say Leach drove to where his wife was staying at an apartment complex with a stolen shotgun on Feb. 14, 2015.

The wife and her boyfriend wrestled with Leach over the loaded weapon until police arrived.

Leach's attorney, Starck Follis, had argued that his client previously suffered a traumatic brain injury, which he said had a direct bearing on his plan to kill the boyfriend.

Leach apologized in court, saying he now realizes the severity of the crime.