Scanlan sentenced to 296 years in prison Scanlan sentenced to 296 years in prison (October 01, 2004)

A former Mountain View resident who pleaded guilty to a string of violent crimes, including the murder of a young mother, was sentenced Sept. 20 to nine life sentences and nearly 300 years in prison.

Seti Scanlan, 26, received the maximum sentence available for his confessed crimes, which include the Oct. 11 2002 Wells Fargo Bank robbery and shooting of bank manager Alice Martel, the attempted murder of four police officers and several other armed robberies. Following a gun-riddled police chase and a statewide manhunt, Scanlan surrendered to authorities in November of 2002.

Among his crimes was the shooting of Mountain View police officer Cary Shueh, who was wounded in the face.

"For your deeds you will die in prison," San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Robert Foiles told Scanlan.

Alice Martel was 34 years old and the mother of two boys, ages 2 and 4, when Scanlan shot her to death during the bank robbery.

A jury had deadlocked 9-3 in favor of death on June 16 and the District Attorney's office opted for the life sentences rather than a retrial. He will be transferred to a maximum-security prison where he will spend 22 to 23 hours a day behind bars, said his defense attorney Michael DeVoy.

The life sentences will be served consecutively, as will the additional 296 years and four months.

"It is certainly one of the longest sentences ever imposed in [San Mateo] county," prosecutor Steve Wagstaffe said.

-- Bay City News

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