OLYMPIA — It’s a criminal justice equation that doesn’t add up for Craig Wolfe of Monroe.
As the pain of his brother’s death from one deadly punch endures, the punishment for the man who threw it will soon end.
On Tuesday, Wolfe urged state lawmakers to impose longer sentences for those, like the man who killed his sibling, who are convicted of second-degree manslaughter.
“A life taken can never be returned and restitution never made,” Wolfe told the House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee as his mother, sisters and children watched from the audience.
He testified in support of House Bill 1279 to more than double the punishment for the crime. Sentences for first-time offenders now range from 21 to 27 months, according to committee staff. Under the bill, the new range would be 51 to 68 months.
In his testimony, Craig Wolfe recounted how his 46-year-old brother, Kenneth, died Feb. 26 after being struck once in the jaw by Jesse Bullington.
The attack occurred at the Brookside Motel on U.S. 2 in Monroe, managed by Kenneth Wolfe and his wife.
According to police, Bullington, 30, had lived at the roadside motel for a couple of months. He and Wolfe got into a shouting match after Bullington complained about barking dogs.
The argument moved to the parking lot, where witnesses reported seeing Bullington punch Wolfe. He then laughed when Wolfe fell back and hit his head on the pavement, court documents show.
Bullington pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter. He entered an Alford plea, which allowed him to deny any wrongdoing while admitting there was enough evidence to convince a jury he was guilty of the crime. His sentence was set at 27 months.
Craig Wolfe said Bullington could be released with good behavior credits this summer.
“You want to believe the state of Washington thinks your loved one is worth something, and right now it doesn’t feel that way,” Wolfe said after the hearing.
His mother, Patricia Wolfe of Marysville, said it’s “been a tremendous stress on the whole family. It was a really horrible condition when he got just 27 months.
“It was an accident, but it was premeditated. The guy knew what he was doing and he laughed about it afterward,” she said.
Rep. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe, who introduced the bill, said he acted “because sometimes tragedy brings forth ideas and glitches in our sentencing grid.”
He said the Legislature lengthened sentences of those convicted of first-degree manslaughter in 1997 but not for second-degree.
“A person was murdered,” Pearson said, and the possibility that the one responsible will be free in less than two years “makes a person wonder if that is fair.”
The committee took no action on the bill Tuesday.
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