Families plead with WA Governor to block release of triple murderer Timothy Pauley
Mar 24, 2025, 8:27 AM
Left: A photo of Timothy Pauley in jail. Right: Law enforcement investigates the triple-murder outside the Barn Door Tavern in 1980. (Photos courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photos courtesy of KIRO 7)
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson is reviewing the case of Timothy Pauley—a convicted killer who was once sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, but could now walk free due to former Governor Jay Inslee’s decision.
Pauley is serving three life sentences at the Monroe Correctional Complex for a deadly armed robbery that happened in 1980. He was 21 years old when he committed the crime, robbing the Barn Door Tavern with an accomplice.
The two robbers used extension cords to tie up three women and two men who were cleaning up, according to The Daily Chronicle. The women were forced to undress in front of them while two men—night manager Loran Dowell and bartender Robert Pierre—were put in a walk-in cooler, where Pauley executed them, shooting them both in the head. Linda Burford, Pierre’s girlfriend and former waitress at the bar, was strangled by an extension cord that was used to tie her up.
Pauley was denied parole multiple times until 2022, when the Washington Indeterminate Sentencing Review Board approved his release. But Inslee blocked Pauley’s release citing that Pauley still had not shown remorse and failed to take responsibility for the crime.
Pauley took multiple counseling sessions, read books on the topic of accountability, and apologized for his involvement in the crime in 2022 after his parole was denied by Inslee.
“I want to apologize and express my remorse for the horrible crime I committed on June 12, 1980,” Pauley told the Indeterminate Sentencing Review Board, according to KING 5. “I have never been more sorry about anything in my life.”
Inslee rescinded and revoked his order on Jan. 14 that would have canceled the release of Pauley from prison.
RELATED STORIES
Victim’s families pleading for Pauley to not be released
Family members of the victims of the fatal robbery maintain their stance that he should not be released.
“I lost my mom that night,” Kelly Tarp, Loran’s daughter, 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 just not stayed in prison and been a mentor there and made a difference there, but has continued to fight to get out for release, it shows he’s not accountable for what he’s done.”
Pauley’s attorney, Marla Zink, claimed her client is no longer a threat to anyone.
“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.
“If he walks out Thursday, it’s not justice,” Tarp added.
Governor Ferguson has the authority to block the release. His office is currently reviewing the case, and is expected to meet with the families of the victims.
If he is released, Pauley would have to wear an ankle monitor tracking his location for the first 90 days, and would face restrictions on where he can live and travel within the state.
Follow Frank Sumrall on X. Send news tips here.
