SKOWHEGAN – Alcohol shares some of the blame in the brutal death of Karl T. “Stoney” Goeman on March 26, 2000, in Bingham, Justice Donald Marden said Wednesday afternoon in Somerset County Superior Court.

Marden sentenced Bruce W. Morris, 52, of Bingham on Wednesday to 25 years in prison, with all but 12 years suspended, for Goeman’s brutal death. Upon his release from prison, Morris will serve six years of probation with several special conditions, including abstinence from alcohol.

Morris was convicted of manslaughter in February after a change of plea. Sentencing was postponed until this week.

The sentence is precisely what Assistant Attorney General Andrew Benson asked for in pre-sentencing statements to the court.

Morris “beat, chopped, hacked and pummeled” Goeman to death after a night of excessive drinking, Benson told the court. Evidence showed that during a disagreement Morris struck Goeman with the butt of a shotgun until it shattered and continued the assault with an ax, leaving the victim outside to die in the elements.

“This case ranks among the most heinous of violent offenses against a person,” Benson said. “It warrants a maximum period of incarceration.”

Benson did not dispute Morris’ diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder or the effects of alcohol in aggravating his state of mind during the assault on Goeman. The prosecutor questioned whether the conditions should be the basis for leniency in sentencing.

“This is close to a case of depraved, indifferent murder,” Benson said. “This is not just a tragedy. This is an atrocity.”

The sentence was not enough for several members of Goeman’s family who offered emotional testimony Wednesday, but it was what they expected.

Stonehorse Goeman told the court that his older brother’s death was nothing less than a hate crime, a case of “another drunken Indian fed booze, beaten and butchered.”

“Even wild animals don’t do that to each other,” Goeman said, explaining that his brother had been victimized before because of his race. “This was another case of my brother being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I’m asking for someone to stand up for my brother,” the younger Goeman said. “This court represents a ceremony for healing. You the judge have the power of thunder. I’m asking you to use that thunder to bring justice to this ceremony.”

Two of Stoney Goeman’s nephews also addressed the court, emotionally calling Morris a murderer. The victim’s widow, Marguerite, pleaded for justice for the loss of “the love of my life.”

Morris sat stoically throughout the testimony. He stood briefly to address the court after his attorney, John Alsop of Norridgewock, presented witnesses.

“I am very sorry for all the grief I have caused,” Morris said, barely audible in the large courtroom. “I stand ready to take the consequences of my actions.”

Morris is deeply remorseful for Goeman’s death, Alsop said.

“This has nothing to do with race or hate,” the defense attorney said. “It has a heck of lot to do with alcohol. What has been driving this case from the beginning is the brutality. It’s a fairly classic PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] response. There was no motive, no prior antagonism. He just went berserk.”

Alsop asked for a reduced sentence of eight years or less of incarceration to allow Morris to participate in an alcohol abuse treatment program at the Maine Correctional Center, and to participate in public service during a period of probation.

Richard Roberts, a high school English teacher from Bingham, described Morris as a good friend and neighbor who disappointed him when he began drinking again, but made him extremely proud when he returned to school.

During a sober period, Morris earned a GED and a degree in park management from Unity College, according to testimony Wednesday.

“Nothing I do will bring back Stone[y] Goeman or absolve Bruce Morris of responsibility for his death,” Marden told the courtroom, explaining that he was moved by the description of the thunder of the court. “That thunder is dictated by the people who make the laws. The court cannot always provide the healing, but it can contribute.”

Marden also stressed his need to show compassion for Morris and his plight. Although he recognized trauma in Morris’ life during his Vietnam War experience and possibly before then, he said the defendant had shown an ability to take control of his life. He said Morris was aware of his PTSD diagnosis and the effects of alcohol on his behavior, and for that reason he must consider a severe penalty.

“You have taken responsibility and expressed regret,” Marden told Morris. “I consider it a measure of who you are as a person without alcohol. You should consider from this point on never to touch a drop of alcohol again. It has caused you to commit the ultimate crime.”