Washington Governor Bob Ferguson is reviewing the case of Timothy Pauley, a convicted murderer serving three life sentences, whose potential release has sparked outcry from victims’ families. Pauley was initially sentenced to life without parole for a 1980 armed robbery that left three people dead. However, his case has taken a controversial turn after former Governor Jay Inslee’s decision paved the way for his possible release.
Pauley, now 65, has been incarcerated at the Monroe Correctional Complex for over four decades. At age 21, he and an accomplice robbed the Barn Door Tavern, tying up five employees with extension cords. According to The Daily Chronicle, they forced three women to undress before locking two men—night manager Loran Dowell and bartender Robert Pierre—inside a walk-in cooler, where Pauley shot them both in the head. A third victim, Linda Burford, Pierre’s girlfriend and a former waitress at the bar, was strangled with the same cords used to bind her.
Over the years, Pauley was repeatedly denied parole. However, in 2022, the Washington Indeterminate Sentencing Review Board approved his release. Inslee blocked the decision, citing Pauley’s lack of remorse and failure to fully acknowledge his actions. Since then, Pauley has attended counseling, read books on accountability, and issued a formal apology, stating, “I want to apologize and express my remorse for the horrible crime I committed on June 12, 1980. I have never been more sorry about anything in my life.”
Despite this, Inslee rescinded his order blocking Pauley’s release earlier this year, reigniting strong opposition from the victims’ families.
Victims’ Families Plead to Keep Pauley Behind Bars
Relatives of those killed in the 1980 robbery maintain that Pauley should not be released.
“I lost my mom that night,” Kelly Tarp, daughter of Loran Dowell, told The Daily Chronicle. “My mom did the best she could to parent, but none of us were ever the same. The fact that Pauley has continued to fight for release instead of making a difference within prison shows he’s not accountable for what he’s done.”
Pauley’s attorney, Marla Zink, argues that he no longer poses a threat to the public.
“The criminal justice experts on the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board, the Department of Corrections’ own psychologists, and the former governor all carefully weighed the record and determined he is rehabilitated and safe for release,” Zink told KING 5.
However, Tarp and others strongly disagree.
“If he walks out Thursday, it’s not justice,” she said.
Governor Ferguson has the authority to intervene and is expected to meet with the victims’ families as he reviews the case. If released, Pauley would be required to wear an ankle monitor for 90 days and face restrictions on his residence and movement within the state.
