A Michigan man who killed his roommate over an argument about Taco Bell is headed to prison.
Mark Newsome, 55, pleaded no contest earlier this year to the manslaughter death of 72-year-old Dale Francis Mitchell. He was sentenced to 5 to 15 years behind bars with credit for 581 days, according to Fox 2 Detroit.
A judge in Macomb County, north of Detroit, called the killing “senseless.”
Newsome was originally charged with second-degree murder, but the murder charge was dropped after he agreed to enter a no contest plea for manslaughter.
The killing occurred in January at a boarding house where both Newsome, Mitchell, and other roommates were living at the time.
According to prosecutors, Newsome was asleep when Mitchell was accused of stealing a taco from another one of their housemates. The commotion over the stolen food woke Newsome up who then entered the room and got involved in the conflict.
Newsome punched Mitchell in the head several times leaving him bloodied in the boarding house. Mitchell ultimately died from his injuries.
“Oh God it scared the hell out of me, it really did,” another roommate, Bob McQuade, told WJBK after the incident. “There was blood all over upstairs. To think a fight over food would escalate into murder. It’s inconceivable.”
When police arrived they found Mitchell unconscious.
During his sentencing hearing, Newsome told the court that Mitchell had tried to punch him in the face several days before their fatal encounter.
“I don’t have any criminal record. I didn’t intentionally kill Dale,” he said in court. “I had next to my bed what I called the Dale wall I made because I didn’t trust him. That’s another thing, I was backed into a corner.”
The explanation did not satisfy Macomb County Judge Richard Caretti.
“To take a man’s life over a Taco Bell meal that wasn’t even the defendant’s meal is beyond senseless,” he said.
Mitchell’s family provided the court with a victim impact statement which was read during the sentencing hearing.
“This loss is particularly devastating because the good times spent with family and friends are replaced by the horrible visions of the pain he must have experienced as he was brutally beaten to death while begging for his life,” the statement said.
Prosecutor Peter Lucido said after the sentencing that the case makes clear the need for people to practice nonviolent conflict resolution.
“This tragic case underscores the responsibility we all share to resolve conflict without resorting to violence,” he said. “While today’s sentence brings accountability, there are no winners when a life is lost. We hope this outcome serves as a reminder of the importance of compassion, patience, and safety in shared living environments.”
