A man has pleaded guilty in thefatal downtown Wilmington stabbing that left a Marine dead and several others injured.
Davy Spencer Jr., 47, of Scotts Hill, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in connection with the April 5th death of 21-year-old Daniel Montano.
Montano, a lance corporal with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, was in Wilmington with friends on April 4, visiting downtown bars before violence erupted in the early morning hours, prosecutor Elizabeth Temple told the court.
Wilmington police responded to reports of multiple fights around 2 a.m. in the 100 block of North Front Street.
Officers deployed OC spray during the disturbance, Temple said. It was during that incident that Montano was seen
"bleeding heavily" from the left side of his neck. Although several people suffered injuries, Montano eventually died from the wound.
Both attorneys said members of the group of Marines used a racial slur that angered Spencer, who was working as a dishwasher at the time, defense attorney Kane Russell said.
Montano's sister, Evelyn, and father, Aurelio, shakily spoke to Judge Richard Harrell. Both shed a light on who Montano was and shared the struggles of learning to live life without him.
"I have not felt like a normal person since that day ... I have had to learn how to live again," Aurelio Montano said.
Spencer was later charged with second-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.
Combined, the charges carried a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison. The charges were consolidated under the plea agreement, and both sides requested a sentence of 251 to 314 months, roughly 20-26 years. However, family members urged Harrell to impose the maximum punishment, describing Spencer's actions as "cowardly."
"There was no mercy," Aurelio Montano said, adding that he could not understand why Spencer chose to kill rather than teach.
Harrell sentenced Spencer to 251-314 months in prison. The judge also credited Spencer with 185 days already served and applied that time toward his sentence.
Temple said surveillance video clearly showed Spencer throwing the first punch at one of Montano's friends. Montano then intervened, she said. Temple also said interview footage showed Spencer initially denying involvement before later telling investigators he used the knife in self-defense as he stood alone against four people.
Temple said Spencer ultimately admitted he "went too far."
Spencer did not say much during the sentencing. However, Russell said Spencer has a child on the way. He hopes to be eligible for a work release program since he will not be able to be part of his child's life until an adult, Russell said.
Spencer was initially denied bond during an April 16 hearing. He was hospitalized before his first court appearance on April 13 because of a leg injury sustained the night of the incident, Wilmington Police Department spokesperson Brandon Shope previously said.
The fight resulted in multiple people injured, one of the Marines having a "severe" 10-inch-long laceration near his armpit and another puncture wound on his head. The individual now suffers from nerve damage, Temple said.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Guilty plea entered in downtown Wilmington stabbing that killed Marine
