Mother of trooper murderer to be sentenced today

Tammi Spofford

LUDINGTON — Tammi Spofford, the mother of the man who killed Michigan State Police Trooper Paul Butterfield, is scheduled to be sentenced in 51st Circuit Court this afternoon.

On May 6, Spofford entered a plea of no contest to accessory after the fact. She is the mother of Eric John Knysz, the man who murdered Butterfield. Knysz was sentenced to life in prison without parole and then killed himself shortly after arriving in prison.

Spofford,  50, of 8124 W. Eight Mile Road, Irons, was arrested last fall for her involvement after Knysz killed Trooper Butterfield on North Custer Road in Free Soil Township. She was also charged with unlawfully driving away a motor vehicle, a charge that has been dropped as part of a plea agreement with the prosecutor.

Eric Knysz’s wife, Sarah, is serving a 2 to 5 year prison sentence for her involvement in Trooper Butterfield’s death.

In February Spofford turned down a plea agreement and had been scheduled for trial later this month. Sentencing is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. She faces a sentence of up to 5 years in prison.