What Is the Sentence for Second-Degree Murder in Seattle?
The two selected Seattle court records report differently scoped terms. Lorenzo Pratt received 20 years of confinement under a joint recommendation resolving murder, assault and unlawful-firearm charges; the opinion does not separately allocate a murder-count term. Tramaine Claiborne received 252 months for second-degree murder with a firearm enhancement. These outcomes are displayed separately, not as an unenhanced murder range, an average or a prediction.
Start at the Seattle sentence hub. Read our methodology and editorial standards.
What Second-Degree Murder Means
Washington Revised Code section 9A.32.050 defines second-degree murder through intentional killing without first-degree premeditation and through specified felony-murder circumstances. This page addresses Washington state prosecution.
Statutory Sentence
Second-degree murder is a class A felony. The applicable standard range is not one universal number: Washington uses a sentencing grid, seriousness level, offender score, enhancements, and other findings. The observed terms below therefore remain case-specific and separate from the statutory framework. The governing law depends on the conduct date and proven findings. This statutory framework is separate from the selected observed outcomes.
Observed Seattle Outcomes
| Reported prosecution | Source-reported location, disposition and sentence scope |
|---|---|
| Cluster 1 | Lorenzo Pratt: the murder narrative places the shooting two blocks from Flo Ware Park in Seattle’s Central District. His plea resolved second-degree murder, second-degree assault and unlawful firearm possession; the murder and assault charges had no firearm enhancement. The joint recommendation produced 20 years of confinement without a separate murder-count allocation. The opinion affirms denial of plea withdrawal; joined causes are not extra qualifying murder cases. |
| Cluster 2 | Tramaine Claiborne: a Seattle gas station as described in the opinion; guilty plea to second-degree murder with a firearm enhancement accepted August 14, 2019; 252 months imposed, not the 246 months recommended by the State. The August 8, 2022 opinion affirms denial of plea withdrawal. The total includes the firearm enhancement; its component is not separately allocated here. |
Case Sources
Cluster 1 source is the linked court record for the reported conduct, disposition and sentence scope. Cluster 2 source is a court-opinion copy for the other reported prosecution and sentence scope.
Methodology and Limits
Each named prosecution is counted once; codefendants, appeals, joined causes and multiple convictions are not automatically additional qualifying Seattle murder cases. Relevant sentencing and offense-location passages were read September 28, 2026. Court descriptions support the reported locations, but independent municipal-point corroboration and exhaustive subsequent-docket review are incomplete. An affirmed decision is not a claim that all appeals are exhausted. Separate enhancements, stayed terms and multi-offense totals retain their own scope.
Official Law
Limit: Two selected public-reporting clusters cannot establish a typical result. This page provides general information, not legal advice.