Porter had chance to save self, woman says at sentencing

Villanova University basketball star turned probation officer Howard Porter could have fled when two armed men burst into a St. Paul house.

But he stayed to help the prostitute who had lured him there, not realizing she was involved in the set-up to rob him.

"Mr. Porter could have left when he seen that I was getting assaulted. He stayed to help," Tonya E. Johnson said at her sentencing Monday for her role in Porter's death.

The revelation brought sobs from Porter's widow, Theresa Neal. She and others described her husband as a gentle, compassionate soul during two emotional sentencings in one day.

Hennepin County District Judge Margaret Daly sentenced Johnson to 10 years for aiding and abetting aggravated robbery. Fredquinzo (Snake Eyes) King was sentenced to 45 years for second-degree intentional murder and kidnapping at a separate hearing.

Rashad Raleigh was sentenced to life without parole last month. Raleigh and King, both 30 and St. Paul residents, were friends. All three entered guilty pleas for their role in the crime that crushed Porter's friends and colleagues, who had seen him battle his own demons for years.

Johnson told the court that she had no idea that Raleigh and King intended to kill Porter. Unlike Raleigh and King, who declined to speak at their own sentencings, she offered apologies and asked for forgiveness.

"I only hope you know that in my heart, I truly am very sad," she said. Johnson also said she would be willing to talk to Porter's relatives if they ever wanted to meet with her.

In May 2007, Johnson lured the 58-year-old Porter to a St. Paul house with the promise of sex. Raleigh and King burst in with a gun and beat him. Although Porter fought back hard, the men stuffed the 6-foot-8 Porter into the trunk of his Cadillac and dumped him in a north Minneapolis alley.

Porter, who had struggled with cocaine addiction, died eight days later after he was removed from life support. His organs were so damaged they could not be harvested for transplants, the Rev. Gloria Roach-Thomas said at King's sentencing.

Defense lawyer Michael Holland said later Porter "tried to beat them off of her. He didn't know all three of them were together."

Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Mike Furnstahl said Johnson's version of events was consistent with Porter's character and his own knowledge of the fatal attack. He also said he believed Johnson's remorseful tone was sincere, based on previous conversations with her.

At both sentencings, Neal gave tearful but clear-voiced statements about the man she was with for nearly two decades. She spoke of sadness and pain, but also uncommon compassion.

"I've not publicly said much about my love for Howard," she said at Johnson's sentencing. "I wish the people who did this to Howard could have had one iota of that in their lives ... because then they would not have done that."

Ultimately, she said, she hopes this tragedy can somehow save someone else and make them see "that they can be good, do good and they don't have to live a life of hate."

At King's sentencing earlier in the day, Neal said she continued to be haunted by the final moments of Porter's life.

"For 17 years, our commitment was we would always be there for one another," she told Judge George McGunnigle. "And when he needed me most I was not there."

Neal, who has not granted interviews since her husband's death, said she has asked herself what he would have wanted her to do Monday.

"These people don't deserve an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth," she said. "He [Porter] would expect for me to extend compassion. I hope these people find a conscience, then the conscience will take care of the rest."

King sat staring ahead, his arms crossed over his chest as Neal continued, "If only they would have defined their lives the way he defined his."

Asked if he wanted to speak, King said only "no."

Porter knew about life's ups and downs. The Stuart, Fla., native grew up poor without a father. But he loved music and books and was a gifted athlete. He eventually led the Villanova University team to several NCAA tournaments and the 1971 championship game, where he scored 25 points in a loss to UCLA. He was named the tournament's most outstanding player.

But he was denied that trophy and his team's record was vacated after it was learned that he had signed a contract with an agent months before his senior season ended.

Shamed, he withdrew, blaming himself for what happened. A mediocre and injury-riddled professional basketball career followed. Then came a broken marriage, drug addiction and a stint in jail. In 1989, he underwent treatment at Hazelden near Center City, Minn. After time at a halfway house in St. Paul, he got a job as a probation officer in Ramsey County.

Neal said she doesn't intend to be "held hostage" by the people who killed Porter. "I will persevere," she said.

Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747