A former UA law school student and beauty queen was sentenced to two years in prison plus six years' probation Thursday for her part in the kidnapping and torture of her former boyfriend.

Kumari Fulbright, 28, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and aggravated assault as part of a plea agreement that stipulated the prison sentence in the case, which also involved another ex-boyfriend.

Fulbright was dating Joshua Conway in the fall of 2007 when she asked him to sell jewelry she was given by her former boyfriend, Robert Ergonis, according to prosecutors Michael Jette and Kim Ortiz.

When Ergonis came back into Fulbright's life, she lied and told Ergonis that Conway had stolen and sold the jewelry.

Fulbright lured Conway to her apartment on Dec. 8, 2007, and Ergonis and David Radde jumped him, the prosecutors said. Another man, Larry Hammond, helped to detain him. Conway was beaten, cut with a knife and held at gunpoint for hours until he was able to escape.

Fulbright, Radde and Hammond entered deals with the state and agreed to testify against Ergonis at his trial last month. Fulbright told jurors that the plan was only for Ergonis to talk Conway into telling them where the jewelry was.

Ergonis was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, armed robbery and aggravated robbery. Jurors acquitted him on a second count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, choosing instead to convict him of a less serious assault charge. He's scheduled to be sentenced next week.

In Pima County Superior Court, Judge Michael Miller sentenced Fulbright Thursday. Miller ordered Fulbright to pay $15,000 in restitution.

He also agreed to allow Fulbright to move to Florida when she is released from prison.

 

Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com