Horrific crimes make headlines every day. Child abuse, rape, murder. The cases are usually senseless and heartbreaking, especially if they involve young victims.
Some crimes, and their victims, garner great attention, sympathy and outrage. Others, less so. It’s in these circumstances that we are exceptionally grateful to the men and women in law enforcement and the legal system who dedicate their lives to finding justice for crime victims, especially for those who have no one to speak for them.
The heinous murder of Terilynn Simone Gardner, 18, is a case in point.
On Nov. 5, 2006, a woman’s body was discovered in the trunk of a stolen green Honda Civic. Her body wasn’t discovered for several days after her death. The body was wrapped in a shower curtain, blankets, other items and bundled with tape. Investigators’ first task was to identify the victim; there were no missing person cases at the time. The homicide of a young woman did not evoke community outrage.
Police discovered the identity of the woman and the sad facts of her life: Terilynn Gardner was a drug user who had been living on the streets, where she was known as “Precious.” The investigation led police to two suspects: Aaron Robert Bander, 22, of Sultan, and his underage girlfriend, Suzie Kay Le.
Gardner’s short life ended this way. Bander and Le suspected Gardner of stealing some clothes and jewelry from Le. Together they lured Gardner to an Everett apartment where she was kept for days, tied to a chair and beaten.
They took turns beating her in the head with a hammer. Gardner suffered 26 severe head injures, a half-dozen of which could have caused her death. When she didn’t die right away, her throat was cut.
On Monday, Bander was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for the murder, with Judge Richard Thorpe saying the circumstances warrant the high end of the sentencing range. Le had earlier pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and awaits sentencing as an adult.
Forensic evidence unequivocally tied Bander to the brutal, senseless death.
At Bander’s sentencing, Gardner’s aunt, Wanda Billingsly, described her niece as a “beautiful person” who had goals and dreams in life. She was more than a nameless, homeless, drug addicted victim.
The Everett police, the Washington State Patrol, Snohomish County prosecutors and a judge have brought her justice.
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