Gov. Inslee cancels parole for man convicted of infamous 1980 triple-homicide

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Jay Inslee has canceled parole for a man convicted of the infamous triple murder at the Barn Door Tavern in June 1980.

Timothy Pauley — who was armed with a gun — and another man – who was armed with a knife — entered the tavern in SeaTac — and announced a robbery.

The five victims — three women and two men — were ordered to lie down. The men — Loran Dowell and Bob Pierre — were tied up with an electrical cord and taken to the cooler by Pauley’s partner.

The women were told to strip. Two were tied together at their hands and necks, which caused them to pass out. The third woman, Linda Burford, was tied to a post with a knotted cord around her neck. She died of strangulation.

Before leaving the tavern, Pauley fatally shot Dowell and Pierre in the cooler.

The two surviving women were able to escape and summon the police.

Pauley was sentenced in February 1981 to life in prison.

The Washington Department of Corrections Indeterminate Sentence Review Board found that during his decades in prison, Pauley had shown signs of rehabilitation. He had not committed any serious infractions since 1995, completed treatment for chemical dependency, and took part in numerous self-help programs and education, according to the ISRB.

At a parole hearing in March, the board unanimously found Pauley to be rehabilitated and as a result, eligible to be released on parole.

In the governor’s order to cancel Pauley’s parole, Inslee said he was concerned about what Pauley said during the hearing when he was given the opportunity to give his thoughts on how his crimes had affected the victims and their families.

Though he said he felt ashamed for his “horrible” actions, he referred to the victims and their families as “them” and “these people,” never apologized to the victims and their families, and never used their actual names.

He also spoke about post-traumatic stress disorder he had that stemmed from an earlier industrial accident and “how he is ashamed that, through his crimes, he passed that (PTSD) onto (the victims).”

Inslee said Pauley’s comments “distanced himself from his actions and the direct consequences of those actions.”

Because the governor felt Pauley did not show adequate responsibility and remorse for his crimes, Inslee canceled the ISRB’s decision to release Pauley on parole.

Inslee’s order, which is effective immediately, was signed on May 18.

Before Inslee’s decision to cancel Pauley’s parole, former King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg sent a letter to the governor on May 5 and asked Inslee to use his authority to keep Pauley in prison.

Satterberg wrote in part:

“I am writing to strenuously object to the recent Indeterminate Sentencing Review Board (ISRB) decision on March 16, 2022, finding Mr. Timothy R. Pauley, DOC # 273053 parolable with a Parole Eligibility Release Date of July 2, 2022,” Satterberg wrote. “It is our hope and strong recommendation that you, in your capacity as governor, revoke the Board’s March 16, 2022, decision regarding the parolability of Timothy R. Pauley. A decision to revoke the Board’s recent decision and to set a minimum term reasonably consistent with the SRA is the right and just response when considering the totality of the circumstances.”

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