Misty Tague could barely choke out her apology between sobs today, as she learned she would spend life in prison for her role in killing a Wichita man nearly two years ago.
“I’m so sorry,” Tague, 30, told the family of Titus Franklin, before being sentenced for his murder. “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”
Tague said she didn’t know Franklin before he died during a robbery she participated in on Oct. 25, 2007, in the CitiHost Motel on South Broadway. Witnesses say Tague and Leslie Keith took drugs, a gun and money. Keith was convicted of shooting Franklin and sentenced to life in prison last month.
“I didn’t want Titus dead,” Tague said.
But prosecutor Aaron Breitenbach said Tague was the “driving force” behind the robbery.
“She provided the weapons and planned the robbery,” Breitenbach said, repeating what Keith told police
Judge Joe Kisner said he didn’t believe all of what Keith said.
“He kind of made up whatever he would to benefit him at the time,” Kisner said during Tague’s sentencing this afternoon.
It took about eight months to solve the killing. Tague was arrested in June 2008. Keith was apprehended in August 2008 in Texas.
Tague was convicted of felony murder and aggravated robbery during a trial in May. Felony murder is a death during the commission of a dangerous crime.
Under Kisner’s sentence, Tague will have to serve 20 years on the murder charge, then 7 years on the robbery charge, before being eligible for parole.