PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Longview woman was sentenced to a year in prison on Monday after she was found guilty of purchasing nine firearms for her white supremacist boyfriend, a felon who was eventually convicted for killing three people in a Woodland home in 2016.
Andrea Sibley, 29, made false statements when she bought the firearms for her boyfriend, Brent Luyster, a previously convicted felon, the Department of Justice said. Sibley was convicted for “rendering criminal assistance in connection” with the three 2016 murders.
Atr the sentencing, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle said, according to a DOJ press release, that “Guns are being used to take lives of innocent people at an alarming rate. So it is a serious crime when a person is helping someone who shouldn’t have guns get gun … [You] had to know someone was going to get hurt by these firearms but that did not deter you.”
Deputies with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives discovered Sibley purchased all nine firearms associated with Luster, using her parent’s address and lying to complete the purchase. The firearms included a .40-caliber handgun, a semi-automatic rifle and a shotgun, among others.
“Each time she walked into a gun store and lied she let herself become part of a terrible crime,” said U.S. Attorney Annette Hayes in the press release. “We will hold accountable all those who fail to comply with the laws meant to keep guns out of the hands of prohibited and dangerous persons.”
ATF Special Agent Darek Pleasants added: “Andrea Sibley’s criminal conduct during which she purchased the firearms for a convicted felon and white supremacist led directly to three tragic murders.”
The killings in Woodland
On July 15, 2016, Luyster allegedly shot 4 people, killing Joseph Lamar, Janell Knight and Zach Thompson., and critically wounding Brianne Leigh.
Court documents at the time said the bodies of 3 victims were found at a Woodland home, and all 3 appeared to have been shot in the head.
Leigh, who was shot through the left side of her face, is the mother of Thompson’s children.
Lamar and Thompson were found outside in the driveway next to each, both shot at point blank range. Knight was inside lying on a couch, also shot in the head.
When authorities arrived they found she was unable to speak but was able to write answers to their questions.
According to the affidavit, a deputy knew the shooting happened at the house of one of the victims, Joseph Lamar. The deputy asked Leigh if she knew who shot her, she wrote, “pretty sure Brent Lyster (sic) Luyster. He’s in big trouble. Fed.”
Previous arrests
Luyster was still facing charges for allegedly pistol whipping his ex-girlfriend — the mother of his child — in May. When he was arrested that time, deputies heard shots fired and eventually talked him into surrendering. He was out on bail on this particular charge at the time of the murders.