A Revere teen pleaded guilty today to stabbing 61-year-old Storm Mandeville to death during a fight in the victim’s Bryant Street home last year, accepting a 15-year state prison sentence rather than face trial, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

RICHARD SOUTHERN (D.O.B. 1/6/90) pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the May 22 incident that took Mandeville’s life and an additional count of armed robbery for an unrelated incident a day earlier; he received a four-year state prison term for that offense.

Had Southern proceeded to trial on second-degree murder, the crime for which he was indicted, he would have faced life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years.

Prior to sentencing, Mandeville’s brother, Mark, read impact statements prepared by members of his family.

Reading from a statement submitted to the court by his mother, he called the one-time Marine Corps reserve member “a generous and kindhearted person who would give you anything he had” and said “the joy went out of our lives forever” when he died.

Reading from a statement submitted by Mandeville’s niece, he recalled daily phone calls from the victim, sometimes just to discuss what was on television that night.

“I won’t ever share that little part of my life with him again,” the statement said.

Speaking for himself, Mark Mandeville spoke of the emotions that overtook him in the wake of his brother’s violent death, telling Judge Christine McEvoy that he sometimes awoke from nightmares that armed intruder was in his house and rose from bed to defend himself. He spoke of the void in his life where his brother used to be, and he mourned the loss of a brother whom he could call for a cup of coffee or to talk about a football game.

“I can’t make that call anymore,” he said. “I just hope that someday Richard Southern can do something good in the world to make up for what he’s done.”

Of that last remark, McEvoy later said, “If that isn’t a testament to the human spirit, to something larger than all of us, I don’t know what it. I join in Mr. Mandeville’s hope.”

Had the case proceeded to trial, Assistant District Attorney John Pappas of Conley’s Homicide Unit would have introduced evidence and testimony to prove that Southern went to Mandeville’s home to buy crack cocaine with the intent of shorting the victim by paying him $28 for $40 worth of the drug.

Evidence would have shown that the two consumed drugs together and that a physical confrontation erupted when Southern passed Mandeville the lesser amount of rolled-up cash. In the course of that confrontation, the evidence would have shown, Southern stabbed Mandeville multiple times, killing him. The evidence would have shown that Southern fled the residence, taking a cell phone and tossing the knife used in the homicide.

Revere Police and State Police assigned to Conley’s office, who lead all homicide investigations in the City of Revere, soon learned that Mandeville’s phone had been used after his death. They soon tracked that phone to one of Southern’s friends and ultimately to Southern himself.

At the time he was identified as a suspect in Mandeville’s death, Southern was in the custody of Revere Police for an unrelated May 21 robbery at a Broadway convenience store. Had that case proceeded to trial, Assistant District Attorney Philip O’Brien of Conley’s Senior Trial Unit would have demonstrated that Southern attempted to buy cigarettes at the market, was refused, and then produced a knife and demanded money from the cashier.

When interviewed regarding Mandeville’s stabbing death, Southern gave a complete and detailed confession to investigators.

Paula Connor was the victim-witness advocate assigned to the case. Southern was represented by attorney Stephen Weymouth on the homicide charge and Andrew Stockwell-Albert on the robbery charge.