Wiggins Sentenced to 30 Years in Murder of Woodinville Teacher Prudence Hockley

The man convicted in the 2011 murder of Woodinville High School teacher Prudence Hockley was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday.

A King County jury found Johnnie Lee Wiggins, 49, guilty of second-degree murder in June. Second-degree murder typically carries a maximum sentence of 23 years, but prosecutors had asked for an exceptional sentence because the crime took place in the presence of a minor—Hockley's daughter—and because of Wiggins' previous history of domestic violence.

Hockley, 55, was beaten unconscious by Wiggins, her boyfriend, outside her Seattle home on Christmas Eve 2011. She died a short time later at Harborview Medical Center.

Hockley joined the WHS faculty in 1997-1998 and taught English. She was a native of New Zealand who completed her graduate studies at the University of Canterbury and the University of Washington. 

According to court documents, Wiggins initially denied attacking Hockley. He later told police he went to her house to deliver a gift and didn’t mean "for anyone to get hurt.” He said when he saw another man leaving Hockley’s house, things just “went bad.”

Hockley went outside to confront Wiggins, a semi-professional body-builder who has a history of violence and steroid use. Her 13-year-old daughter, who was home at the time of the attack, heard a loud thump and went outside to find her mother unresponsive on the side of the house.

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Related coverage:

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Hockley's Death Ruled a Homicide, Suspect in Custody

Suspect Charged With Second-Degree Murder in Teacher's Death

Prudence Hockley: Gone Today, Remembered Forever

Kiwi: The Bird, Not the Fruit, Remembrances of Prudence Hockley

Guilty Verdict in Murder of Woodinville Teacher Prudence Hockley