A 66-year-old man who had been convicted of first-degree rape and first-degree attempted murder has been released from civil commitment without conditions, after Washington state officials conceded they could no longer meet the legal burden to prove he remained a sexually violent predator. King County Superior Court records confirm the dismissal of the petition.
Judge E. Rania Rampersad of King County Superior Court finalized the release order on July 8. The ruling dismissed a civil commitment petition originally filed by the state in 2009 and canceled a trial that had been scheduled for October 19.
According to the state sex offender registry, the individual's release date was July 9, and he is registered as a Level III offender at an Enumclaw address.
The proceeding that ended nearly 17 years of confinement concluded in under 40 minutes. Clerk's minutes indicate the hearing occurred at the Maleng Regional Justice Center on July 8, running from 10:05 a.m. to 10:44 a.m., with the defendant and his attorney, Sonja Hardenbrook, participating via Zoom. Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Charles Sergis and Anela Ramic appeared on behalf of the state.
Although the matter was convened to address the defendant's motion for summary judgment, the court instead adjudicated the state's motion to dismiss, which the defendant joined, and granted the dismissal.
Court documents outline the timeline leading to the case's conclusion. In August 2009, the state petitioned for the man's civil commitment as a sexually violent predator under RCW 71.09, relying on a forensic psychological evaluation by Dr. Richard Packard. He was detained at the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island pending trial. In February 2015, a jury determined he was a sexually violent predator, resulting in an indefinite commitment.
State law mandates annual reviews for committed residents. During the 2025 evaluation, Dr. Elizabeth Bain determined that the man no longer met the criteria for commitment. The center's chief executive at the time, Keith DeVos, authorized the man to petition for an unconditional release trial.
Subsequently, the state engaged its own evaluator, Dr. Marianne Davis, who reviewed the man's records and conducted an interview on May 27, submitting her report on June 1. While diagnosing him with a personality disorder, Davis concluded that the condition did not constitute the mental abnormality required by statute and stated he no longer met the definition of a sexually violent predator.
Davis included specific warnings regarding future behavior. She emphasized that her evaluation addressed only the risk of future predatory sexually violent offenses and did not assess the potential for non-sexual violence or lesser sex offenses. Citing a history of violent conduct, including a 2024 assault and a 2025 threat against a staff member, she noted it would not be unexpected if he "engaged in future acts of non-sexual violence" upon release.
Based on this evaluation, the release order states that both parties concluded the state could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the man remained subject to commitment, making a trial unnecessary.
As the release is unconditional, the individual is not subject to community custody obligations. However, he remains required to register as a sex offender pursuant to his 1986 first-degree rape conviction.
Registration and Oversight Requirements for Released Individual
A newly released individual must register with the sheriff in his county of residence within three business days of leaving custody, according to a state-issued order. The mandate also obliges him to notify authorities of any residential changes going forward, with failure to comply constituting a criminal offense.
State officials emphasized in the order that they will keep the individual under ongoing evaluation, with an eye toward potentially restarting civil commitment proceedings if he commits a specified type of recent overt act—even if no formal charges or conviction follows.
The King County Sheriff’s Office confirmed plans for a virtual town hall on Thursday, July 23, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., designed to address community questions about the release. Officials said they would distribute the online meeting access link in the coming days.
Earlier reporting detailed the legal framework underpinning the release and continued supervision, noting that the state retains discretion to revisit the commitment petition based on future conduct.