MASON COUNTY, Mich (May 7, 2014) – The mother of convicted killer Eric Knysz will likely spend less than a year behind bars for helping her son after the murder of Michigan State Police Trooper Paul Butterfield II.
Tammi-Lynne Spofford entered a no contest plea to an Accessory After the Fact charge, a felony which carries a maximum penalty of up to five years behind bars.
The plea agreement included the dismissal of an Unlawful Driving Away of a Motor Vehicle Charge, and provided Spofford would be sentenced within the Michigan Sentencing Guidelines applicable to the case.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 17.
“This has been a highly emotionally charged case from the outset which has directly affected many persons in Mason, Manistee and Lake Counties,” said Mason County Prosecutor Paul Spaniola in a press release. “I’m not certain whether closure can ever occur in this particular case, but today’s events will go a long way towards the healing that needs to happen.”
Spofford’s son Eric Knysz shot and killed Trooper Butterfield during a traffic stop in Mason County in September 2013. He was later convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, but committed suicide shortly after his sentencing.
