EVERETT — A former Everett paraeducator, in custody on allegations of killing his girlfriend, was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday on separate child sex abuse charges.
After a bench trial that lasted a matter of minutes, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Anna Alexander found John Curran guilty Tuesday of third-degree rape of a child and third-degree child molestation.
Curran, 41, was a former volunteer volleyball coach at the Boys & Girls Club. He also worked as a special needs educator at Everett High School.
From December 2019 to the summer of 2020, Curran sexually assaulted a teenage girl multiple times while on field trips or at his home, according to court documents. In 2021, Snohomish County prosecutors charged Curran with sexual assault. Earlier this year, prosecutors added another charge of third-degree child molestation.
At the time, prosecutors did not object to Curran remaining out of custody. Third-degree rape of a child is not classified as a violent offense under state law.
Under state guidelines, there is a “presumption of release” unless a judge determines the defendant is likely to commit a violent crime, seek to intimidate witnesses, or otherwise “unlawfully interfere with the administration of justice.” Curran did not have a conviction history or a record of failing to appear in court.
The girl reported Curran would “threaten” her if she told anybody about what happened, according to the charges.
However, there was almost a year gap between the initial investigation and when police referred the case to the prosecutor’s office for a charging decision. During that time, there was no record of Curran continuing to harass the girl, deputy prosecutor Michael Boska said Tuesday. Under these circumstances, it would be unusual for a judge to accept a request for bail, he said.
“If we could go back and do it all over again, knowing he would do something like this, we would,” Boska said in an interview. “We can’t go treat every offender like they’ll go out and murder someone, or everyone would be in jail.”
On Sept. 29, as he awaited a bench trial, Curran was arrested in Seattle for allegedly killing his girlfriend.
Two weeks later, King County prosecutors charged Curran with second-degree murder.
After Alexander found Curran guilty, deputy prosecutor Michael Boska argued there was a “preponderance of evidence” that Curran had committed a new criminal offense prior to his bench trial.
While conceding the case law “is a little bit unclear,” Boska argued the new murder charges, as well as a judge’s finding of probable cause after his arrest, show Curran violated the judge’s pretrial orders.
Curran agreed to certain stipulations by moving forward with a bench trial.
“If I am convicted of any new crimes before sentencing, or if any additional criminal history is discovered, both the standard sentence range and the prosecuting attorney’s recommendation may increase,” he agreed in court documents.
Curran’s defense attorney, John Chase, objected to admitting the evidence from the murder case. Chase argued that, without an evidentiary hearing that includes live testimony, Curran’s due process rights would be violated.
Alexander accepted the prosecutor’s evidence, ruling Curran violated the agreement. The finding increased the prosecutor’s sentencing recommendation to five years, the maximum sentence for third-degree rape of a child under state law.
In January 2022, King County prosecutors also charged Curran with third-degree rape of a child in connection with alleged abuse of the same victim. That case has a trial date set for February 2024.
In court Tuesday, the victim’s father spoke on behalf of his daughter, now 18.
“When I think about the worst things that happened to me in my life,” the woman wrote in a letter to the court, “I realize that almost all of them have happened to me because of this man.”
She knew she needed help, but worried about telling anyone. Curran had told her if anyone got him sent to jail, he would have that person killed, the father testified in court. Recounting what Curran did only made her feel more afraid, as she had to relive the events again and again, she wrote in the letter.
Chase said Curran was also abused as a child. After the loss of his brother early in his adult life, his drug and alcohol use increased, contributing to his behavior.
Curran declined to speak in court.
A trial in the murder case is tentatively set for Dec. 18.
Jonathan Tall: 425-339-3486; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @snocojon.
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