Killer laughs at the families of his victims

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Tensions were high in a Tacoma courtroom Wednesday when a man who pleaded guilty to killing three people told the victims' families to "get over it."

Ulysses Handy, 24, will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to murder charges to avoid a possible death penalty.

He shot 28-year old Darren Christian, 20-year old Daniel Varo and 21-year old Lindy Cochran to death in February during a robbery at a Tacoma home. The three were his friends.

Handy smirked in court as relatives of the victims talked about their loss. When it was his turn to speak, Handy said he was asking for no sympathy because he doesn't have any.

Handy showed no remorse as he addressed the court Wednesday, "I feel there's two types of people in this world, us and them, predator and prey. Well, I'm damn sure not a prey. So, I know there's people up in here hurt. Well, pain's a part of life, deal with it, get over it."

"Pain has been the only constant that's been in my life from my earliest memory. Oh well. I can't hurt no more," Handy said.

As Handy addressed the court, blaming his crimes on the pain he suffered as a child, his mother stood up and interrupted.

Tesheika Barnes' outburst put an end to her son's statement, and he then pleaded guilty to the murders.

The court cheered when a family member spoke, The News Tribune reported.

"Nobody can put into words what he's taken from the families," Christian's brother, Chris Jones, said. "He can smile about it, and that's fine, but everything comes full circle. And in one way or another he'll have to answer to this, other than in this courtroom."

As friends and family of the victims spoke, Handy would laugh or stare directly at them.

Handy's behavior prompted an outburst as the uncle of Lindy Cochran faced Handy while making his address in court: "But I wish I had the opportunity to trip the gallows that would stretch his sorry neck. And part of the thing that is going to keep me going the rest of my life is that somebody will get their hands on him on the inside and choke the life out of him. For the coward that he is. Go ahead and laugh about it, you chicken****," Robert Frost said.

Deputies detained two of Handy's friends outside the Pierce County courtroom after they exchanged words with victim family members. The News Tribune reported that the two friends threatened the victims' family members.

Outside the courtroom Barnes, Handy's mother, spoke to the families of the victims, "I feel your pain, but there's no way I can describe the pain I'm feeling to know that my son can do something like that," Barnes said, "He's my son and I love him unconditionally, but do not think that's the child I raised, he is not like that. He's not, he's not. And I'm sorry, I just can't stop apologizing."

Daniel Varo's mother, Debra Martsching, said the apology from the mother of her son's killer helped, but she has no pity for Handy. "I think that there's something that he's lacking, a soul, and I don't blame her," Martsching said.

Handy also pleaded guilty to a robbery at the house, an unrelated first-degree assault for shooting a man in the stomach on Oct. 21, another first-degree assault for shooting a man who honked his car horn at him on Jan. 8, and unlawfully possessing guns, The News Tribune reported.

The paper also reported that prosecutors dismissed a child molestation charge against Handy, after he was accused of giving a young girl herpes.

Anger, Sorrow As Man Is Sentenced In Triple Murder