On April 13, a Pierce County, Washington, Superior Court Judge sentenced Scotty Butters, 24, and David Pillatos, 23, to prison terms of 30 years and one month each for the beating death of a homeless man in Tacoma, Washington, in 2003.

The sentencing came one day after the fourth anniversary of the death of the victim.

Prosecutors alleged that four white supremacists- Pillatos, Butters, Kurtis Monschke and Pillatos' girlfriend, Tristain Frye- used baseball bats and steel-toed boots to stomp and beat the victim to death so that Frye could "earn" the right to wear red shoelaces, a badge of honor in some skinhead circles.  The victim was left in a coma from which he never regained consciousness.  

All four were charged with aggravated first-degree murder. In February 2004, Frye pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 13 years and nine months in prison.  In March 2004, Pillatos and Butters both pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and testified against Monschke.  In June 2004, Monschke, a known member of Volksfront, a neo-Nazi group based in Oregon, was convicted of aggravated first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release.