Alexander Michael Bremmeyer, 18, received an 18-year sentence for second-degree murder and second-degree assault, one year more than the minimum under state sentencing guidelines.

He was accused of shooting Pfc. Patrick Franz, 20, five times - three times in the back and twice in the shoulder - early Jan 1, 2001, after New Year's Eve fireworks at the Seattle Center. A bystander was wounded.

Miles B. Skagen, 19, was sentenced to 16 years and two months for second-degree murder and second-degree assault, the minimum under state sentencing guidelines.

Skagen was accused of jumping out of a car in which he and his co-defendants were riding, cursing Franz - who was cheerfully shouting "Happy New Year" to virtually everyone he encountered - and then attacking him. Bystanders broke up the fight.

Prosecutors alleged Bremmeyer and Gabriel Acena, 21, held Franz down during Skagen's attack. Acena was sentenced to 6 1/2 years for first-degree manslaughter, also at the low end of the sentencing range.

The shooting occurred after that initial scuffle when Franz caught up with his attackers, stuck in traffic, and confronted them. Video footage showed Franz - barefoot, barechested, his face bloodied in the initial clash - confronting Bremmeyer, Skagen and Acena moments before six shots were fired.

"We're satisfied these sentences hold the defendants accountable," said Dan Donohoe, a spokesman for the King County prosecutor's office.

All three defendants, from the south King County community of Maple Valley, initially pleaded innocent, later reversing their pleas. Defense attorneys had argued for shorter sentences.

"I thought that the facts of the case clearly showed that the person who got killed was a provoker and an instigator of the crime," said Seattle lawyer Murray Guterson, who represented Skagen.

Bremmeyer attorney Jeffrey Robinson said all the young men behaved badly and overreacted. "No one is a saint here," he said. "And no one is a Satan."

But the judge rejected all arguments for leniency, saying that even if Franz had provoked a fight, the response of the three defendants was clearly excessive. The judge said that the night had been described as a nightmare, but that clearly was not true.

"A nightmare is a dream you can wake up from," he said. "These are events that will follow the families of both Franz and the three defendants, and show clearly the danger of mixing alcohol and guns."

Mike Franz, the victim's father, said he accepted the sentences handed down by King County Superior Court Judge Richard Jones.

Patrick Franz, of Acton, Calif., enlisted in the Army in 1999 and served briefly in Korea. He was a communications cable installer in the 29th Signal Battalion at Fort Lewis.

His father leased 10 billboards in downtown Seattle last week to call attention to the case. The signs ask, "What Is Justice?"