‘They got it right’: Gee supports release of WA man who fought wildfires during his 17 years in prison

A Pierce County judge ordered the immediate release Friday of a man who spent 17 years in prison for a fatal shooting he committed as a teenager, telling him from the bench that his years fighting wildfires while incarcerated were “remarkable.”

James LaRon Ellis was 18 in 2008 when he and two other teens entered a Lakewood apartment to steal drugs and money. During a fight, Ellis shot and killed 20-year-old Javon Holden, later pleading guilty to second-degree murder and being sentenced to 25 years.

The state Supreme Court eventually ruled that a previous resentencing did not fully consider Ellis’ age at the time of the crime. At Friday’s hearing, Judge Stanley Rumbaugh said he did not see how another 33 months, the time prosecutors had sought, would accomplish more than the 17 years Ellis had already served.

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin, co-hosts of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, discussed the case, with Gee admitting he had prejudged the story before reading the details.

“Before I read the story, unfortunately, I had already judged it,” Gee said. “I’m pretty conservative when it comes to crime and punishment. But then when I got to reading it, I really kind of almost smacked my hand for judging the story without even reading it.

“This person has paid their debt to society, and they are trying to do what’s right, to be better and get another chance out here into the world,” he continued. “Accountability mattered, and it does matter. The victims, they matter, that whole story. But at the same time, redemption has an opportunity to matter as well. In this case, they got it right.”

Ursula weighs the victim’s family perspective

Ursula said she tried to put herself in the shoes of Holden’s family but noted that prosecutors were unable to reach them before the hearing.

“It sounds like prosecutors were not able to get a hold of the victim’s family, and so I was trying to put myself in the shoes of the victim’s family,” Ursula said. “Nothing’s going to bring back your loved one after being murdered. But the reality is Ellis was a child himself who did something horrible, horrific, and by law his age should have been taken into consideration.

“When you see someone who truly has done something to try to change his life and better the life and make up for his mistakes, I agree with you that in this case I don’t think the additional three years would make much of a difference,” she continued. “And in fact, he’s making a big difference fighting these wildfires.”

Ellis’ son spoke at the hearing

Ursula noted that Ellis has a 19-year-old son who spoke at the hearing and described his father as a positive influence even from prison, calling regularly and giving him advice. After the hearing, Ellis’ son told The Tacoma News Tribune he was overwhelmed with happiness.

“Sky’s the limit,” his son said.

Gee said he looked up Ellis’ Facebook page and saw years of posts about his child growing up.

“I was seeing how he was over the years making comments about, ‘Here this is my child, my kid, my son,'” Gee said. “I saw pictures of his child growing up by way of his Facebook.”

Gee explains why he initially judged the story

Gee said his instinct was to push back because he assumed Ellis was getting a massive sentence reduction. Once he realized the man was 33 months from his scheduled release, the picture changed.

“When I saw he was going to be released 17 years after committing that, I thought that his sentence was longer,” Gee said. “I thought that he was getting chopped off a whole bunch of years. But then when I read it, I said, ‘Man, that is a good story.’ It’s a good story with respect to the family that lost a loved one.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.