Former Everett bar owner sentenced to at least 109 years in prison

EVERETT — A Snohomish County Superior Court judge sentenced a former Everett bar owner to at least 109 years in prison Monday.

Christian Sayre, 39, who owned the Anchor Pub in Everett, was accused of drugging and assaulting numerous women over nearly a decade.

In four trials spanning more than five months, juries convicted Sayre on 16 felony counts: four counts of third-degree rape of a child, two counts of possession depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, two counts of second-degree rape and eight counts of indecent liberties.

At Sayre’s sentencing hearing Monday, Judge Millie Judge said 109 years is an “exceptional” sentence — meaning a sentence outside the standard range — because of the high number of offenses Sayre committed. On some of the counts, Judge imposed an indeterminate sentence, which means Sayre could face more years in jail.

“You did break the trust of your friends, of your family, of your community,” Judge said to Sayre on Monday. “You used your business as a hunting ground for victims. The scope and scale of your predatory sexual assaults is unprecedented. Your behavior was violent, it was manipulative, it was callous and, ultimately, it was selfish and done for your own sexual gratification.”

The state recommended an exceptional sentence of 132.95 years, while the defense recommended 17.5 years, or 210 months.

“To impose just 210 months is not at all proportional to what he has done,” deputy prosecutor Kara Van Slyck said, “and a sentence that comes out to about one year per victim is a shock to the conscience because in no world would that seem like a fair and just sentence for someone standing before this court.”

On Monday, Judge heard statements from four victims, urging her to impose the state’s sentence. Two victims filed written statements with the court.

“Christian has demonstrated time and time again that he is dangerous and should not be granted another opportunity to be free to prey on others,” one victim wrote. “His victims should not have to fear that he could one day be free and potentially seek revenge on those who spoke out. I ask that justice finally be served and for his actions to no longer be minimalized.”

The defense argued that the victims sought Sayre out and had already been drinking before meeting up with him, and Sayre’s sentence should allow for rehabilitation.

“Those are facts, Your Honor,” defense attorney David Roberson said. “They don’t excuse the convictions, but they put into perspective when you talk about some of the cases that the state cites as a basis for an exceptional sentence.”

Sayre addressed the court Monday. He said his defense advised him not to go into detail about the individual cases.

“There was never any malice, there was no desire for unwanted contact and there was absolutely never any plan to take advantage of anyone in all the sexual encounters I’ve had,” Sayre said. “Rather than for my own defense, though, I hope these words might be comforting to anyone that may be unclear on where my heart is.”

On Oct. 3, 2024, Sayre’s first trial ended with a jury convicting him on four counts of third-degree rape of a child and two counts of possessing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

On Nov. 6, 2024, Sayre was convicted of second-degree rape and three counts of indecent liberties. On Jan. 30, he was convicted on the same four counts.

On May 12, Sayre’s most recent trial concluded with convictions on two counts of indecent liberties. Jurors did not reach a decision on a second-degree rape charge.

The first trial focused on a single victim. In 2011, Sayre met a 14-year-old girl at a Halloween store at the Everett Mall. After a couple of weeks, he invited her to a Halloween party, and they began hanging out regularly. According to the charges, he raped the girl multiple times and pressured her into sending him nude photographs.

Each of the other 10 counts involved separate victims, with incident dates ranging from 2014 to 2020. Many of the victims alleged Sayre drugged and assaulted them.

At one point, Sayre faced 21 felony charges. In September 2024, Judge dismissed three of those counts. In two cases, the alleged victims didn’t want to testify. Without their testimony, prosecutors couldn’t prove those allegations. On the third count, deputy prosecutor Kara Van Slyck dropped the charge “due to evidentiary considerations that the State is unable to resolve,” she wrote in court filings.

The 109-year sentence comes more than three years after Everett police first arrested Sayre after a monthslong investigation.

“I hope you understand you have caused lasting harm to each and every victim, their families and to the broader Snohomish County community,” Judge said to Sayre at the sentencing hearing. “The fact that you have refused to take responsibility for your behavior, even as shown in your remarks this morning, has not gone unnoticed. Justice therefore requires that you spend the bulk of your life in prison where you can’t hurt anyone ever again.”

Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.