A U.S. Army captain and former Boy Scouts leader is set to be sentenced after conviction on seven counts of child sex abuse in Virginia.
After sentencing for Robert Sypole happens on Nov. 13, he will be brought back to King County to face child sex abuse charges here.
A Renton mother played a crucial role in the convictions in Virginia and the charges in Western Washington.
“All I could think about when this all started is we can't have another Garrett,” Laurie Boyce-Sypole told KIRO 7 on Friday.
Garrett Sypole, of Maple Valley, killed himself at age 17 in August 2017.
In a letter he left behind, he revealed that his stepbrother Robert Sypole raped him when he was 5 years old.
Boyce-Sypole started going through Robert Sypole's social media accounts and last November contacted families of young boys Robert Sypole had pictures with in Virginia.
“I wanted them to know they could tell their story,” Boyce-Sypole said.
That led to Robert Sypole's arrest and child sex abuse charges.
The trial was set to start last week, but after the prosecutor brought Garrett Sypole's story before the judge, Robert Sypole agreed to an Alford plea, which means he agrees the evidence would lead to conviction on all seven counts, but without admitting to the crimes.
“I mean it's big,” Laurie Boyce-Sypole said.
“And I hear from a lot of people, ‘You did this, you made the phone calls, nobody would have known this if you hadn't done this.’”
She's been in touch with the other victims' families and talked about how the conviction has impacted them.
“It doesn't take away the pain, it doesn't take away the hurt, they've still been abused,” Laurie Boyce-Sypole said.
“However, they're young and they're getting the help they need to hopefully go forward in life and process this the way they need to.”
Laurie Boyce-Sypole hopes to give a statement at the sentencing in Williamsburg, Virginia, on Nov. 13.
"I'm glad that he's put away, that he'll never touch another child again," she said.
"But I think the hardest part in the end is it will never bring Garrett back."
Now she's waiting for Robert Sypole to be brought back to King County after sentencing to face child sex abuse charges here.
KIRO 7 will keep you updated on that case.
More news from KIRO 7
- Small plane’s emergency landing on Pierce County street caught on camera
- Wildfire causes level 3 evacuation in Mason County
- Two teens aged 14 and 16 arrested and charged after violent two-week crime spree
- Woman in stolen Kent police SUV leads police on chase
- Do you have an investigative story tip? Send us an email at investigate@kiro7.com
Cox Media Group
