Paul Bieker sentenced to 30 years in prison for 2003 kidnapping and rape of McCleary teen

Paul Bieker, the man found guilty of first-degree rape last month in the 2003 kidnapping and rape of a McCleary teenager, was sentenced to 30 years in prison with deliberate cruelty as an aggravating factor, the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday.

The aggravating factor allowed Superior Court Judge David Mistachkin to go beyond the high standard range of 10 years, the sheriff’s office said.

New genealogy technology was used to identify Bieker as a possible suspect in the case.

Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office Chief Darrin Wallace surveilled Bieker, obtained his DNA and submitted it to a crime lab.

The DNA matched that of the suspect’s DNA evidence collected on the night of the rape.

Bieker was arrested in McCleary on June 15, 2021.

After Bieker was found guilty last month, investigators looked into his possible involvement in the 2009 kidnapping and murder of Linsey Baum, which also occurred in McCleary.

At this point, investigators have not found evidence linking Bieker to the Baum case, the sheriff’s office said.

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