Forestville triple-murder accomplices sentenced

A Colorado man and his elderly father were sentenced Thursday for their roles in the 2013 slayings of three men during a marijuana deal in Forestville.

Odin Leonard Dwyer, 41, of Black Hawk, who was present when the men were shot but did not pull the trigger, received 20 years and four months in prison. Under state sentencing laws and with credit for time already served, he could be out in about seven years. His father, Francis Raymond Dwyer, 68, of Truth of Consequences, N.M., who played a smaller part in the killings, was sentenced to eight years. He’s expected to be out by February.

Both men were initially charged with murder but pleaded guilty to lesser charges as part of an agreement with prosecutors to testify against Mark William Cappello, 49, of Central City, Colo.

Cappello was convicted by Sonoma County jurors of the Feb. 5, 2013 murders of former Sebastopol resident Raleigh Butler, 24; Todd Klarkowski, 43, of Boulder, Colo. and Rich Lewin, 46, of Huntington, N.Y. Prosecutors said Cappello shot his would-be business partners, execution-style, as they packaged about 70 pounds of pot for transport to the East Coast.

Cappello was sentenced earlier this month to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The Dwyers had been hired by Cappello to help him drive the marijuana across the country to be sold for a profit. Both men said they were not aware of plans to kill anyone.

A victim’s family member thanked the two for their cooperation with investigators and their testimony.

“Francis felt horrible that three people got killed,” said Francis Dwyer’s lawyer, Walter Rubenstein. “He did not sign up for this.”

You can reach staff writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.