KTTH OPINION

Rantz: Soft-on-crime Judge Johanna Bender scolds media for critical coverage after sympathizing with murder suspect’s mom

Oct 15, 2024, 5:55 PM | Updated: Oct 16, 2024, 9:11 am

Judge Johanna Bender...

A headshot of Judge Johanna Bender overlayed on a screenshot from Jimerson surveillance where 20-year-old K'Shawn Jimerson attacked 65-year-old military veteran Michael Grey from behind with a broomstick before fatally stabbing him twice with a kitchen knife. (Photo courtesy of King County Courts)

(Photo courtesy of King County Courts)

A soft-on-crime Seattle judge, King County Superior Court Judge Johanna Bender, recently lashed out at the media for daring to criticize her reckless decisions. This comes after she offered sympathy—not to the victim’s grieving family—but to the family of an accused murderer. If anything, her comments are a reminder that she deserves even more media scrutiny, not less.

The Renton Police Department (RPD) and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) said 20-year-old K’Shawn Jimerson attacked 65-year-old military veteran Michael Grey from behind with a broomstick before fatally stabbing him twice with a kitchen knife. Jimerson claimed self-defense, but surveillance footage showed him to be the aggressor.

At a first appearance hearing, King County District Court Judge Michele Gehlsen set bail at just $50,000 instead of the requested $2 million by KCPAO. The low bail, which Jimerson paid, was widely condemned by the public, media and the Renton Police chief.

Days later, Jimerson was formally charged with second-degree murder, and the surveillance footage was presented to the court. KCPAO again asked for $2 million bail, this time in front of Judge Johanna Bender. She still denied the $2 million bail, but offered $500,000. But before doing so, she expressed frustration with the media and empathy for the wrong party.

Judge Johanna Bender empathizes with suspect’s family — not the victim’s family

Ahead of the judge’s decision, the suspect’s mother asked that the media not show her son’s face. She said she feared “vigilante justice.”

Judge Johanna Bender responded, according to Fox 13’s David Rose, who first reported the comments, by noting the surveillance footage was already being circulated but that she is “empathic” to the suspect’s family because they’re “dealing with a crisis.”

As Rose reported, Bender didn’t offer sympathy to Grey’s family — the ones actually experiencing a crisis. Unlike Jimerson’s mother, Grey’s family and friends will never see him again.

But then Bender revealed why she was empathetic: Critical coverage of her long history of soft-on-crime decisions led to “death threats” against her. She used it as an opportunity to scold the media.

“This hearing is not about me, but I will share with you that I often get death threats based on the decisions that I made. Which is equally frustrating to me because I’m trying to do my job, and it should not be the responsibility of any member of the public to threaten my life because I am trying to uphold the law. So, I am very empathetic to the situation that the family finds themselves in, having experienced it themselves and I understand personally how frightening and disruptive it is all the more so while navigating this incredibly traumatic time for your family,” Bender explained.

This is next-level gaslighting.

Next comes the media scolding

It’s obviously inappropriate and illegal to send death threats to a judge for her poor decisions. But the irony is that those accused of far worse crimes often receive the very sympathy Judge Bender is now seeking from the public when they stand in her courtroom.

“I am just doing my job, you’re dealing with a crisis. That’s a huge difference and one for which I am very empathetic. I will also take this opportunity to editorialize, that I hope the press takes seriously their obligation to tell the stories of what happens in our courtroom in a fair and unbiased way and takes every reasonable editorial action to not stir up public sentiment for revenge,” she continued.

What audacity.

Bender isn’t “just doing her job” — she’s actively failing at it. Her bias is glaring when she goes easy on violent offenders. By framing the criticism as a reaction to public outrage, she’s trying to manipulate the media into giving her a free pass. We should do no such thing. If anything, she hasn’t been criticized enough for her long history of treating suspects like victims.

Judge Johanna Bender’s lengthy history of going easy on dangerous suspects

After a man was accused of shooting a 65-year-old grandmother three times in front of her 10-year-old grandchild at an ATM in Covington in July, Bender set the suspect’s bail at just $50,000.

The grandmother is lucky to be alive and noted to FOX 13 that her medical bills far exceed the low bail.

Months earlier, Bender lowered the bail from $1 million to $20,000 for an accused white supremacist allegedly involved in dumping the bodies of two murder victims. Bender argued that “there is no allegation of violent behavior in this case” against suspect Joshua Jones. She was not moved by his alleged concealing of evidence, his past felony convictions or the active Department of Corrections (DOC) warrant at the time of the alleged crime.

Going easy on suspects who allegedly kill children

The KCPAO charged Joseph Knoerr and Megan Smith, a couple from Auburn, with manslaughter in the first degree following the death of their 1-year-old son, who died from fentanyl and methamphetamine intoxication. The Medical Examiner’s Office found drug paraphernalia in the boy’s intestinal system.

After a judge initially set bail at $2 million, Judge Bender lowered the bail to $500,00 and electronic home monitoring for Smith.

Bender went easy on 18-year-old Chase Jones, who was accused of crashing into and killing an adult and three children after allegedly driving 112 mph through a red light. Jones was previously involved in three serious crashes within the previous year.

Despite claiming a “serious concern” over the “level of really impulsive behavior that’s alleged, in combination with a very recent history of a pattern of similar behavior,” Bender reduced his bail from $1 million to $100,000 and electronic home monitoring. She explained her decision by referencing the fact that Jones was injured in the car accident.

“While Chase Jones sits comfortably at home watching Netflix, the broken bodies of Matilda, Eloise and Buster, three innocent children, lie side by side in fresh graves, never to return home to their families,” Chase Wilcoxson, the father of Eloise and Matilda, told KOMO News. “While Chase Jones shares a meal at home with his loved ones, the body of Andrea Hudson lies in a freezer at the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, awaiting the day that her children Nolan and Charlotte will be well enough to attend her funeral.”

Accused of assault on camera? You get a pass

Last year, Scot Witzel was charged by King County prosecutors for allegedly stealing from Nordstrom Rack in downtown Seattle. The suspect allegedly assaulted an employee who attempted to stop him from leaving with stolen shoes, and made “multiple threats to kill officers during his transport to jail.” The assault was recorded on surveillance footage acquired by “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

The suspect’s history included two warrants since 2021 and “was on bench warrant status from December 15, 2021, until he was arrested in this case.”

Rather than set bail and send him to jail, Bender released Witzel on his own personal recognizance and ordered him to attend the Community Center for Alternative Programs Enhanced.

No, Judge Johanna Bender isn’t doing her job

While Judge Bender and other soft-on-crime judges claimed they were just doing their jobs and that their hands were tied, these excuses are laughably weak.

These judges often point to Washington State Court Rule 3.2, which presumes release for individuals on their own recognizance. But the rule explicitly states that a judge may deny release if “there is shown a likely danger that the accused will commit a violent crime.”

When setting bail amounts, judges are given significant discretion. They’re supposed to factor in the criminal history, severity of charges, and risk to the public. Yet Bender routinely demonstrates a lack of appreciation for all three.

Journalists would be wise to ignore Bender’s transparent attempt to use alleged threats to avoid media scrutiny. It’s absurd to suggest that anyone sending death threats is motivated by journalists calling for tough-on-crime policies and higher bail for dangerous criminals. Anyone making those threats should expect the same scrutiny from the press that soft-on-crime judges like Bender receive.

Of all the judges whose scolding should be ignored, Bender tops the list — she consistently overlooks the threat posed by the very suspects she coddles. Johanna Bender deserves more scrutiny, not less.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason on X, formerly known as Twitter, InstagramYouTube and Facebook.

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Rantz: Soft-on-crime Judge Johanna Bender scolds media for critical coverage after sympathizing with murder suspect’s mom