MT. CLEMENS (WWJ) - A Macomb County man accused of killing and dismembering his friend will spend the next several decades in prison.
Andrew Fiacco, 21, was sentenced Thursday to 50 to 70 years in prison in the death of his childhood friend, Stephen MacAfee.
Prosecutors were seeking a first-degree premeditated murder conviction, but a jury found Fiacco guilty of the lesser charge of second-degree murder. He was also convicted of disinterment and mutilation of a dead body, felony firearm and lying to police.
McAfee, 19, disappeared from his family's home in March 2016 and had been missing for over a year before his scattered remains were found both in Bruce Township and in a shallow grave behind Fiacco's home in Ray Township.
In perhaps what was his first display of emotion during the trial, Fiacco started to cry as Michael MacAfee recalled memories of his son playing with family pets and summer fishing trips.
"Stephen thought his friend would do him no harm. Andrew manipulated and took advantage of Stephen," he said. "Stephen was kind. Stephen was thoughtful. Stephen was caring. Stephen was trusting."
Like her husband, Susanne MacAfee also called for the judge to hand down the maximum sentence.
"Stephen's life was suddenly cut short at the hands of Andrew Fiacco, a person who used his charm to deceive Stephen into thinking he would be doing something fun that night, like a wolf in sheep's clothing," she said.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Jennifer Faunce condemned Fiacco for lying about what happened and said she was concerned about his ability to ever be rehabilitated.
"You've destroyed not only Stephen's life, his family and friends, you've destroyed your family's life as well as your own," she said. "And then for 13 months let everyone wallow in fear in distress -- and hope was in there as well, which I think is the worst part. Even after they found Stephen, there was no remorse shown then."
Fiacco appeared to be overcome with emotion while apologizing to MacAfee's family before saying he took "full responsibility."
"I miss Stephen very much," he said. "I miss my friend more than I can convey in words. ...The world is forever going to be a darker place without his presence."
According to police, Fiacco shot and killed MacAfee and left his body in a field in the area of 34 Mile Road and Van Dyke. About a month or so later, Fiacco and Evette McDonald -- his girlfriend at the time -- returned to the site to dismember the body. The remains were then dumped in a wooded area about six miles away.
The case went cold until April 2017, when MacDonald confessed to a friend about what had happened. That friend went to police and both MacDonald and Fiacco were arrested the same day.
Fiacco, who led police to the remains, argued that he killed MacAfee in self-defense. A medical examiner testified that the gunshot wounds were to McAfee's back and to the back of his head.
MacDonald pleaded guilty to disinterment and mutilation of a body and being an accessory after the fact and was sentenced to one year in prison and three years of probation.
