The potential parole of a man convicted in a gruesome triple murder 35 years ago at a Seattle-area tavern highlights the contentious issue of how much punishment is enough, reports the Seattle Times. The crime happened on June 12, 1980, when five people were attacked and robbed at the Barn Door Tavern on Pacific Highway South. Three of the victims were killed and one, a 30-year-old woman, was raped and left hanging by her neck from a railing. Within hours, Timothy Pauley and Scott C. Smith were arrested. Pauley, 21 at the time, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three life terms.
Now 56, Pauley could be freed as early as February 2018 after the state Indeterminate Sentencing Review Board determined his remorse and behavior behind bars may warrant early release. (Smith is not a candidate for early parole.) King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg is infuriated and has appealed to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to revoke the decision. The widow and other survivors of Loran Dowell, who died in the attack, attended a board hearing this week and argued for Pauley to remain in prison. “Our family never imagined that Mr. Pauley would be released from prison — at least not during our mother's lifetime,” Angie Dowell, the slain man's daughter, wrote in a statement.