The man convicted of murder in the disappearance of dog trainer Mark Stover has been sentenced to the maximum prison term of 26-1/2 years. Michiel Oakes was sentenced Tuesday in Skagit County Superior Court after his attorneys requested a new trial.
Oakes was convicted in October of first-degree premeditated murder of the well-known dog trainer.
Oakes admitted he shot and killed Stover, but said he was acting in self-defense. He said he panicked and ditched the body because he thought no one would believe him. Oakes said Stover had stalked him before luring Oakes to Stover's Fidalgo Island home.
Stover disappeared on Oct. 28, 2009. His body has never been recovered.
The defense had filed a motion for a new trial, alleging that the judge suppressed key evidence in the case.