EXCLUSIVE: Jay Inslee released brutal murderer from prison on last day as Washington governor

Documents obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show revealed that Inslee rescinded an order he signed in 2022 denying the Indeterminate Sentencing Review Board’s (ISRB) decision to parole Timothy Pauley, who killed three people in a bar in 1980.

In 2022, when the victims’ families discovered that the ISRB planned to parole Pauley, they started a massive pressure campaign which led to Inslee denying the parole at the time.

When Inslee rescinded his order in January, the day he left office, family members of Pauley’s victims told Hoffman that no one had informed them of Pauley’s upcoming release, scheduled for March 27, and that no restrictions had been placed on Pauley to keep him away from them.

Kelley Tarp, one of the victim's daughters, told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, while on the verge of tears, "Apparently [he] and his attorney have been corresponding with Inslee. We're not sure what was in those corresponden[ces], what Pauley said, but whatever it was, Governor Inslee decided that it was enough to rescind his original order from 2022 and is allowing him to be released. He sent that order back to the board on January 14th. We were notified on January 15th, the day before we laid our mom to rest, and needless to say, we've been trying to cope with the overwhelming feeling that once again, we don't have justice. There's no transparency within this system."

Pauley will be living with his sister in Bonney Lake, WA, minutes away from some of the victims’ family members. In 2022, his sister did not want him to reside with her, claiming it was “not a good fit,” but what changed is unclear.

According to the families, they weren’t provided with the letter Inslee received from Pauley and his attorney in October 2024 that convinced the governor to change his mind. In 2022, Inslee denied Pauley’s parole, stating the murderer had not accepted responsibility nor apologized. Yet in his rescission order, Inslee claimed Pauley showed “remorse” and accepted responsibility despite the family and psych evaluators calling Pauley a “mass manipulator.”

The family told Hoffman that the Department of Corrections won’t provide the information Inslee used to grant the release and is making them file a FOIA request, which won’t be received until after Pauley is released.

On June 12, 1980, Timothy Pauley and Scott Carl Smith robbed the Barn Door Tavern in SeaTac, Washington, and killed two men and one woman in an attempt to leave no witnesses. Pauley has spent the past 40 years in prison serving 3 life sentences and continuously failing to meet the terms for release at multiple parole hearings.

After the bar closed, Smith and Pauley returned to the tavern, knocked on the door, and called out Loran Dowell's name to get him to open the door. When he did, Smith put a knife to Loran's side and Pauley put a gun to his head, forcing their way inside and ordering everyone onto the floor face down. They demanded money and Loran told them it was on the bar's counter. Then Smith and Pauley pulled out electrical wires, phone cords, and anything else they could use to tie everyone up.

Smith took Loran Dowell to the kitchen while Pauley kept his gun pointed at everyone in the front area. When Smith returned, he ordered the women to take off all their clothes and forced them into the bathroom, tied them up, tightening the cords around their necks, and sliced Maggie Dowell down her chest. Pauley and Smith left them before fleeing the bar.

After regaining consciousness, Maggie was able to loosen the cords around her hands and help Sherri. The pair found their clothing in a bathroom and got dressed before discovering the body of Linda Burford hanging from the stage. Maggie found her husband and Robert Pierre, dead in the kitchen.

Tarp previously told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, "They left that night believing that they had killed everybody," but her mother and Sherri survived.

Pauley received three life sentences and has been petitioning for early release, but even though he had a clean record in prison, both men had multiple prior convictions and the victims' family members said his "…rehabilitation is an act." Kelley told Hoffman, "We're the ones that served the life sentence, not him."

According to the Dowell family lawyers, "…during Smith's trial, Pauley repeatedly refused to give any statement or assist in the prosecution. He has indicated that he has information that would be helpful in finding the truth, but feels that if he cooperated, he might still end up serving one or more consecutive life terms and that he might end up in protective custody because of his cooperation."

A February 9, 2012 letter from Pauley to his brother was described by the lawyers as an insight into how Pauley’s "…mind works and is a truer reflection of the man he is today. This letter is an example of his arrogance and self-entitlement. Pauley is highly intelligent and has learned what to say and what not to say – he knows how to manipulate his surroundings. The letter contained potentially threatening language involving DOC staff members.”

The ISRB previously stated, "One cannot help but wonder as to the sincerity of his accomplishments in programming." In 2020, Pauley’s attorney submitted a letter to the ISRB requesting his immediate release due to the COVID-19 pandemic; claiming "cruel and unusual punishment" and a violation of his constitutional rights. The ISRB denied the request as did the Court of Appeals and the Washington State Supreme Court. Yet, throughout the process, the families did not receive notice of Pauley’s appeals, including his COVID appeals from the ISRB or the victim liaison.

The family called the process a joke and told Hoffman, "Pauley is a manipulative, cunning individual and has played this Board and the system well. When you look at everything as a whole, a person who has continuously fought for release for the past ten years (40 years when you look back over everything) and cannot handle the slightest change or disruption to his schedule and lashes out or displays unwarranted anger and frustration is not someone who is rehabilitated."

"Our families have been forced to read through hundreds of pages of documents and scrutinize every word in the hope of finding something to support our position that Pauley is not fit for release. This is not something victims and their families should be put through. Having to read and visualize the murder of our father, Robert, and Linda and what these two men did to our mom and Sherri is something my sister and I will never be rid of. We get to the point where we can push down the pain and loss, but it comes flooding back having to deal with this horrible, unfair, and unjust system that leaves us feeling helpless and re-victimized," they said.