Sled killer sentenced to five to 12

Bridgette Black will serve less than the 20 to 40 years she could have received for killing a Penn researcher in 1996. Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Temin last week decided the fate of 27-year-old Bridget Black, the confessed killer of University biochemist Vladimir Sled. Although she stabbed Sled five times in the 1996 incident, Black will spend only five to 12 years behind bars. The sentence, rendered last Wednesday, came as a surprise to many who expected Black to receive substantially more time for the third-degree murder conviction. But citing Black's abusive childhood, substance addiction and life on the streets as a prostitute, Temin showed compassion and dealt her a sentence near the lower end allowed by state guidelines. A third-degree conviction normally carries a suggested sentence of 20 to 40 years, according to the sentencing guidelines. Black, of the 5100 block of Reno Street, was convicted on June 5 for her role in the October 31 death of Sled near 43rd Street and Larchwood Avenue. Black had earlier pled guilty to general charge of murder, leaving it up to Temin to determine her degree of guilt. The other two defendants charged with the murder, Eugene "Sultan" Harrison, 34, of the 5200 block of Arch Street, and Yvette Stewart, 30, of the 500 block of North Allison Street, were tried in May. A 12-person jury convicted Harrison on several charges of robbery but acquitted him of murder. He faces 32 1/2 to 65 years in prison. Stewart, on the other hand, was convicted of third-degree murder for her role, as well as the robbery charges and faces 47 to 94 years. The fact that Black testified as a prosecution witness in both of her co-defendants' trials may have also played into Temin's sentencing decision, although Fred Goodman -- one of Black's court-appointed defense attorneys -- emphasized that Black cooperated because she "believed it was the right thing to do." But Goodman noted that in his close to 20 years as a public defender, he has never witnessed "a criminal defendant cooperate with no deal whatsoever." "As soon as [Black] knew she was wanted, she turned herself in and told the truth from the beginning," Goodman explained. "She was also phenomenally remorseful." Although Goodman termed the sentencing decision "legally correct," Assistant District Attorney Mark Gilson said he was "extremely disappointed" with the outcome and will seek an appeal. "I thought the sentence was too lenient and it didn't take into account the fact that [Black] was the self-confessed killer and that Sled was stabbed multiple times," Gilson said. "Judge Temin did give a lot of weight to the defendant's tragic childhood." Although the D.A.'s Office filed a petition yesterday to vacate the sentencing and request a new hearing, former Assistant D.A. Dick Carroll said it may take up to year for a new hearing to be granted, if it is found that there are, indeed, grounds for one. Carroll -- who prosecuted all three defendants before moving to a private practice -- had more trouble finding fault with Temin's decision than did Gilson who only handled the sentencing. "I can't be critical of [Temin's] reasoning process," Carroll said. "It's a judgement call many people would have made differently? some judges might have given [Black] two or three times what Temin gave her." Carroll also agreed that Black's background and mental state at the time of the murder played heavily into the decision. "Much of the reasoning focused on Ms. Black's background as an abused child with little or no adult guidance who ended up on the streets," Carroll explained. "Judge Temin viewed that as almost a medical condition like some people consider alcoholism a disease." Despite obvious differences, both the prosecution and defense shared an unwavering faith in Temin's judgement and adherence to the letter of the law. "Anyone who knows Judge Temin knows she's a stickler for following the law," Goodman said. "The verdict itself was not unfair.? anything else would have been a terrible injustice." And Carroll agreed emphatically. "[Temin] is a sensitive, compassionate and intelligent woman who knows the law very well," he said. "She considered all the factors in her decision." Black's sentence also carries with it a concurrent nine years of probation which will extend her jail time should she be found in violation. "Ms. Black is severely damaged goods and we're not sure if she can be fixed," Carroll said. "If she can't be fixed, she will go back to jail and stay there." Harrison and Stewart are awaiting sentencing in early September by Common Pleas Judge Eugene Clark, who presided over both their cases. The hearings are scheduled for September 10 and September 17, respectively, although Gilson noted the dates are subject to change. Although Gilson and Goodman declined the speculate on the outcome of the co-defendants' sentencing, Carroll had some predictions of his own. "I'm not sure what Clark will do with Harrison, but I'm quite sure Yvette Stewart -- whose record is not good -- won't get the break Bridget got," he said. "When you add the third-degree conviction to her two violent robbery convictions, she could very well do 25 to 50 years."

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