Lawson draws 99 years

Frontiersman

MAT-SU — An Anchorage man has been sentenced to 99 years in prison for the May 2003 murder of 21-year-old Talkeetna resident Bethany Correira.

In hisruling handed down Friday in an Anchorage courtroom, Superior Court Judge John Suddock brought to a close a nearly four-year chapter that has changed the lives of the Correira family, said Bill Correira, Bethany’s father.

Michael Lawson, who admitted to killing Bethany Correira during his trial last summer, claimed her death was an accident. He was charged with a laundry list of felonies, including first-degree murder, and was convicted of second-degree murder.

The stiff sentence “kind-of does in a sense [bring some closure], because if something’s just hanging out there, how is this all going to play out,” Bill Correira said. “As far as personal family interaction with the loss, it probably never does. For me, during the trial he was convicted on murder two; it should’ve been murder one. The frustrating part was the case had to be presented as a first-time offense.”

Lawson has a history of violence against women the jury never heard, Bill Correira said; however, Suddock could consider that history in his sentencing.

“At least for me, I felt like the judge is seeing the whole picture, and that was good to see,” he said of Lawson’s sentence. With a second-degree murder conviction, Lawson could be eligible for parole in 30 to 35 years, but given his age (49) and state of health as a drug abuser, Bill Correira is confident Lawson will spend the rest of his life in prison.

At Lawson’s trial, prosecutors argued Bethany Correira observed Lawson using or dealing drugs. She had moved to Anchorage to attend summer classes at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Bill Correira said. Lawson managed the apartment complex.

Bethany Correira was killed May 3, 2003, and reported missing to authorities by her family eight days later. Following an exhaustive search that lasted a year, the woman’s nude body was found at a gravel pit near Talkeetna. During a telephone conversation with his brother Robert that was recorded by police, Michael Lawson confessed to killing Correira. Robert took his own life in 2006.

Representatives from the popular television news magazine show “Dateline NBC” were in the courtroom Friday and plan to produce a 60- or 90-minute program about his daughter’s case, Bill Correira said. The program will likely be aired in April or May.

Reflecting on the past four years, Bill Correira said he is satisfied with the penalty imposed on Michael Lawson. He also said he has made a choice to let go of the natural feelings of rage and vengeance a father feels over tragedies like what happened to his daughter.

“I found myself dealing with thoughts like that,” he said. “I made a choice to release that, cancel the debt this man owes me. Our hearts can be healed from tragedies in our lives, but the way to do that is really having a relationship with our Creator. That’s one of the things he’s really good at — healing broken hearts.”

While the legal system has run its course with a conviction and sentencing for the person who killed Bethany Correira, her family will likely always deal with the loss, Bill Correira said. Along with wife, Linda, the couple has three other grown children.

“The process to get your heart healed for stuff like this [is difficult],” he said. “You see your kids still being real wounded in areas of their emotions, and it’s difficult. You want to be able to help them, but it’s one of those things you have to walk through on your own.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2268.