Shortly after a Prince George's County Circuit Court judge sentenced Yohannes Surafel today to serve 10 years in jail for kidnapping a Clinton woman and her family, the woman's husband expressed outrage outside the courtroom at what he considered an unfairly low sentence.

Assistant State's Attorney Carol Coderre, who prosecuted the case against Surafel, 25, had requested a sentence of 31 years in jail. James Spruill made an appeal to Judge Michael Pearson during the hearing to "show no leniency to this man," after Spruill and his wife, LaChrista Hamilton, were held hostage in their home with their two young sons the night of Dec. 26, 2008, as part of a plot to rob the bank where Hamilton worked.

"He's nothing but a coward," Spruill told Pearson, referring to Surafel. "He has affected my children, my wife and my home."

Following the hearing, Spruill spent several moments outside the courtroom visibly upset and then suddenly walked back in to approach the judge, as a sheriff's deputy ran after him to monitor the situation. He spoke softly with the judge for several minutes and then left with his wife.

Spruill did not speak to members of the media, but Coderre said Spruill "was understandably emotional and disappointed" with the sentence. She said she did not know what Spruill and judge discussed.

Surafel, whose last known address is in Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty on March 5 to kidnapping the family using an unloaded gun. His Greenbelt-based attorney, Richard Finci, had previously argued Surafel was not criminally responsible due to severe mental illnesses, but Pearson denied that request on March 11.

Finci said after the hearing he thought the sentence was "tough but fair, under the circumstances." He had requested Pearson take Surafel's mental illnesses into consideration during sentencing, but did not request a specific number of years.

During the hearing over Surafel's criminal responsibility in early March, Finci argued a series of traumatic events in Surafel's life — notably his presence on campus at Virginia Tech during the shootings there in 2007 — drove him to lose control over his actions.

During the hearing, Surafel apologized to Spruill and Hamilton, telling them "there's not a day that goes by that I don't regret it."

Both Coderre and Finci agreed Surafel was suffering from mental illnesses, but disagreed over the extent to which they affected his ability to be responsible for the kidnapping.

Before announcing the sentence, Pearson said if it weren't for Surafel's mental disturbances, he would have fashioned a sentence "in which you would never see the light of day," given the trauma he put Spruill, Hamilton and their children through.

Pearson accepted Finci's request that he recommend Surafel serve his time at the Patuxent Institution, a correctional facility in Jessup that offers mental health treatment options.

Surafel's family and friends were present in the courtroom, but declined to comment afterward.

Surafel will serve a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in jail for his use of a gun in the crime, but is eligible for parole after those five years, Coderre confirmed.

Surafel's co-conspirator, Yosef Tadele, 24, of Silver Spring, also pleaded guilty to his role in the crime and was sentenced March 26 to serve three years in jail.

A third alleged co-conspirator, Beruk Ayalneh, 24, whose last known address was in Silver Spring, was never found. Coderre said he may have fled the country.

E-mail Zoe Tillman at ztillman@gazette.net.