Congressman Reichert outraged over potential release of murderer

A man serving three life terms for murdering three people in a SeaTac tavern could be out on the streets by February 2018.

Timothy Pauley, who pleaded guilty for the killings in the Barn Door Tavern, will go before the state’s Indeterminate Sentence Review Board on Sept. 15 to discuss his early release.

Pauley, 21 years old at the time, and Scott Smith killed the night manager, a bartender and a former waitress of the tavern on June 12, 1980. They also left two women for dead in the bathroom, tying cords around their necks.

Pauley, who is now 56, could be freed because of his remorse and good behavior. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg told Dori that Pauley has been described as a “model inmate” who has become a mentor, among other things.

“He’s a model inmate and I hope he remains a model inmate for the rest of his life,” he told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson.

The idea of releasing someone who assaulted and murdered people in such a grisly manor has Washington congressman Dave Reichert furious.

Listen: King County Prosecutor discusses killer’s chance of parole

“We’re going to let this guy out of prison for being a model prisoner and behaving himself?” he asked rhetorically.

The problem stems from pre-1984 law that states prisoners can get life in prison, with the possibility of parole. An equation is used to calculate “good time behavior,” according to Reichert. That’s in contrast to the current law, where prisoners charged with murder either get life in prison or the death penalty.

It’s a situation that Reichert is taking on an almost personal level. The congressman was a King County sheriff’s detective at the time of the tavern murders and witnessed the scene first hand.

Reichert met with the Review Board to discuss the Pauley’s potential release. He wants to know what kind of message it would send to the families impacted by the attack if Pauley was released.

“Now they have to live with the fact that this guy could be out and may be thinking, ‘gee, I wonder how those women are doing,'” Reichert said. “Maybe he never does that, but that’s the fear they have to live with.”

Maybe even more frightening: How does the Review Board know Pauley won’t commit another crime?

The Review Board is appointed by the governor. Some have been appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee, others were in place before Inslee took office, according to Reichert. The congressman wants concerned residents to put pressure on the governor’s office, asking Inslee to have the Board think twice before releasing Pauley.

“I don’t care if it’s premature or not,” Reichert said of Pauley’s release, which will be discussed in a few weeks. “The Governor should take the time to talk to the congressman who represents the people who are victims of this crime.”

Pauley finished his first sentence in 1999. Even when considering the pre-1984 law, he would be in prison until 2040.