MYNORTHWEST NEWS

‘Tuba Man’ killer sentenced to prison again

May 31, 2013, 10:56 AM | Updated: 12:19 pm

One of the men convicted of killing Seattle street musician Ed “Tuba Man” McMichael five years ago has been sentenced to six years in federal prison.

William “Billy” Chambers, 20, pleaded guilty to a weapons possession charge. He was arrested in Oct. 2012, just two weeks after he was released from serving a 21 month prison sentence for attempted assault. In that case, police say he intentionally ran another driver off the road.

According to court documents, police arrested Chambers, who’s not allowed to possess firearms, after a car prowl in Burien where he and a group stole a Bushmaster assault rifle.

Police say they found the gun, which was reported stolen in a burglary in June 2010, in the trunk of Chambers’ car.

Chambers will also be under supervision for three years after completing his six year sentence.

Emily Langley, in the US Attorney’s Office, says the judge told Chambers this was his last, best chance.

“He urged Chambers to turn his life around and become an example of making something good out of what has been a very troubled last five years,” said Langley.

Chambers told the court he planned to get his GED and get on the right path during his six years in prison.

He was convicted of manslaughter as a juvenile in the 2008 death of McMichael, who was often seen playing his tuba outside Mariners and Sonics games. Chambers was sentenced to 15 to 36 weeks of incarceration.

Chambers was also sentenced to eight months in prison in 2010 for robbing a man in downtown Seattle with a fake gun.

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