New tonight, the sentencing has been handed down for Amber Lubbers – the Medford woman who plead guilty to being an “accessory to murder” in the death of her step-sister’s husband, Chris MacCallum.
It was a tense and somber scene at the Siskiyou Superior Courthouse. Friends and family of both the victim and Lubbers waiting to find out how justice would be served.
These photographs show Lubbers for the last time before being handed over to the Siskiyou County Sheriffs Department. Her sentence: 16 months.
“The sentence is a travesty,” says Charles Dodge, a friend of Chris’ Mother. “Clearly this girl had a big part in the murder.”
It’s the lesser term for a felony charge, covering up the murder of Chris MacCalum.
His wife…., Lubbers’ step sister… is charged with the murder.
Lubbers could have received 3 years behind bars. Now she’s already spent over 100 days of her sentence in custody.
“She’ll be out and it sounds like in maybe 12 months she’ll be back with her family,” continues Dodge.
The MacCallum family says it’s not long enough. And today, the victim’s mother spoke in court– even addressing Lubbers, showing photos of her son as a boy. Recording devices were not allowed inside the room, but she said in regards to her son’s murder quote, “His life was stolen, taken, he was murdered. Amber did that.”
“She hurts. She’s truly hurting. she lost her son, she lost that part of her life,” says Dodge.
Last November, 34 year old Medford man Chris MacCallum was found at the bottom of a steep cliff, deep in the Applegate.
In the weeks following, Lubbers and her step-sister Patricia MacCallum maintained innocence, saying Chris mysteriously disappeared while camping… that’s until police arrested them as suspects. Just 2 weeks ago Lubbers admitted to covering up the murder of Chris and claimed MacCallum had shot him multiple times.
“When something like this happens, no one can expect something like this,” says Dodge.
Now the family must wait till August for MacCallum to go to trial.
MacCallum is charged with first degree murder, but is pleading not guilty.
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