Defendant in athlete’s death receives life imprisonment

? A Pittsburg man has been sentenced to life plus 68 months in the slaying of a former Pittsburg State University basketball player.

A Cherokee County jury convicted Samuel Becker in January on 11 of 12 charges related to the Jan. 30, 2007, death of Jamey Richardson, 26, in Baxter Springs. Richardson bled to death as the result of a gunshot wound to the calf.

Becker, who was sentenced Friday, was found guilty of felony murder, kidnapping, aggravated burglary and aggravated assault.

A co-defendant, Edward Gordon, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder on Friday and was found guilty. Gordon accepted a plea deal in exchange for cooperating against Becker and a third defendant, Aaron Graham, and will be sentenced in late July.

Graham is scheduled to stand trial for aggravated burglary, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, kidnapping and felony murder in early July.

The crime was prompted by the theft of a safe that belonged to Gordon, of Baxter Springs. According to testimony in Becker’s trial, Gordon sold marijuana for Graham, and the safe contained about $5,000 in cash and marijuana for which Gordon owed Graham repayment.

Witnesses testified that after discovering the safe missing, Gordon and his girlfriend were given a ride to Pittsburg, where they picked up Graham and Becker.

After going to Graham’s father’s house to pick up a gun, Gordon, Graham and Becker stopped at two houses looking for information about who stole the safe. Violence broke out at both places, witnesses said, including an incident in which a man was beaten and threatened with a gun. It was around that time that Richardson was shot.

Richardson, a Moultrie, Ga., native, played for Pittsburg State from 2002-04, averaging 14.5 points and 10.4 rebounds as a junior, and 15 points and 10.6 rebounds as a senior.