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If former Redwood student Max Wade was ever considered a hero by some Marin teenagers for his Hollywood-style burglary of chef Guy Fieri’s $200,000 Lamborghini, then Thursday truly marked his fall from grace.
The Marin County Superior Court sentenced the 19-year old Wade to life plus 21 years and four months in prison after he was found guilty of attempted murder and possession of a stolen vehicle in October. Wade’s lawyer Charles Dresow estimated that Wade would be eligible for parole after 17 or 18 years.
Judge Kelly Simmons emphasized Wade’s extensive and careful planning of the crimes as reasons for the life sentence.
“He planned the attack perfectly,” Simmons said, “and that’s kind of scary.”
Dresow claimed that a life sentence would violate the Eighth Amendment, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment. Wade’s troubled childhood and immaturity at the time, Dresow said, should be considered by the judge in her sentence.
“You have to look at his age, you have to look at his background,” Dresow said. “He is not the same scared, lonely, attention-seeking kid as he was at 16 or 17.”
Prosecutor Yvette Martinez-Shaw attempted to bring up new evidence concerning Wade’s plans for a future violent burglary of the high-end Shreve & Co. jewelry store in San Francisco. According to Martinez-Shaw, Wade intended to steal $6,000,000 worth of jewelry using an elaborate scheme that included a bomb, replica police uniforms, and a helicopter. However, Judge Simmons denied Martinez-Shaw’s request on the grounds that the plans were unrelated to the current charges.
Detective Ryan Petersen, who helped break open the case by identifying Wade as a suspect, expressed satisfaction that the case was over.
“I wouldn’t want my mom or my girlfriend to be walking down the same street as Max Wade.”