Two men convicted in the 2010 murder of a Miami letter carrier were sentenced on Friday.
Pikerson Mentor was sentenced to life plus 42 years in the killing of Bruce Parton, a 30-year U.S. Postal Service veteran. His accomplice, Saubnet Politesse, was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Parton was shot by Mentor while delivering mail to the Monte Carlo condominiums at 482 Northwest 165th Street Road in Golden Glades on Dec. 6, 2010. After Mentor shot the letter carrier, he and his accomplices stole Parton’s postal master key, or arrow key, and the keys to his postal truck, according to the Department of Justice.
Mentor and Politesse used the stolen master key to enter mailboxes to steal private financial and personal identification information and to intercept debit cards loaded with fraudulently obtained tax refunds, authorities said.
Politesse pleaded guilty and testified in Mentor's September trial that Mentor had shot Parton.
"I'm grateful that there is life in prison sentence without parole," said Parton's daughter Nina. "The getaway driver did have his attorney read a statement and it did sound sincere."
Parton's grand-daughter said she would forgive Politesses.
"He asked for forgiveness and I think I would give it to him just cause I know he had a hard life and there was a lot going on," said Erin Norris.
Prosecutors asked for a lighter sentence for Politesse because he cooperated with police. He was painted as a man whose life spiraled out of control at the age of 10, when his older brother was shot and killed. The judge accepted the lesser sentence recomendation.
"The upbringing that he had, the trauma that he sustained when his brother died, then he turning to drugs and alcohol at the age of 13, getting in with an older crowd, just led him to making some poor choices, and I think ultimately he felt that there wasn't much of a difference between a 20 year sentence and a 30 year sentence," Politesse'a attorney Albert Levin said.
In court, Mentor was portrayed as a selfish man who had 32 arrests under his belt. The judge sent him away for life calling this crime "evil" and saying this was the most heinous case he's had to preside over in his 21 years in court.
Parton was just shy of retiring as a postal worker after 30 years of service. His family says he dedicated his life to helping others.
"He was always there. He was a great person. I'm so glad that i got to know him and spend time with him because he was just the most loving person," said Norris.
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