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Torres-Smith killer sentenced

Percy N. Sims, the man convicted in the murder of Oneida Nation member Krystal Torres-Smith in June of 2015, was formally sentenced this morning to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. Brown County Judge Thomas J. Walsh handed down the sentence before a packed court room filled with the victim’s family and friends.
Sims, 27, originally of Milwaukee, was already on probation for a previous armed robbery conviction out of Milwaukee County when he absconded from probation agents there and fled to the Appleton area. While on the run, Sims came under federal investigation for allegedly burglarizing a gun store where it is believed he came into possession of the firearm used in the Torres-Smith homicide.
In the early morning hours of June 8, 2015, Torres-Smith, 39, was found shot multiple times in her vehicle at Communiversity Park on the campus of UW-Green Bay. Sims was arrested within days of the murder and held on unrelated charges until investigators could bring formal homicide charges.
Numerous family members gave emotional victim impact statements at this morning’s sentencing hearing including Torres-Smith’s 14-year-old daughter.
Prior to sentencing, Sims gave a brief statement apologizing for his actions, referring to what he did as “an accident.”