Seattle-area activist judges compromise public safety by releasing dangerous suspects

Activist judges in the Greater Seattle area are compromising public safety by releasing dangerous suspects, with one even expressing her empathy for a murder suspect.

Earlier this month, King County Prosecutors charged K'Shawn Jimerson, 19, with second-degree murder after he was arrested for stabbing a 65-year-old handyman, who was a military vet, in the back with a large kitchen knife.

Despite surveillance video showing Jimerson hitting Michael Gray twice from behind with a broomstick, a 911 call during which Jimerson said "he stabbed someone," and that he would be waiting outside the duplex with the knife, Renton police objecting to Jimerson’s release and prosecutors asking for $2 million bail, at his first court hearing, King County District Court Judge Michele Gehlsen’s set bail at only $50,000.

Renton Police Chief Jon Schuldt said in a statement after Jimerson posted bail and was released, "Our community deserves to be protected from a suspect who commits these violent acts.”

Several days later, prosecutors formally charged him with second-degree murder and requested his bail be increased to $2 million, but during the hearing, King County Superior Court Judge Johanna Bender said she empathized with the mother of the murder suspect.

According to Fox 13, Judge Bender asked the courtroom if anyone wished to address the issue and Jimerson's mother requested the media not be allowed to show her son’s face, fearing what she called "vigilante justice."

Jimerson’s mother said, "People want to take matters into their own hands and attack my child. I feel like he’s being tried before he even had the opportunity to have a trial."

Judge Bender responded, "This hearing is not about me, but I will share with you that I often get death threats based on the decisions that I made, which is equally frustrating to me because I'm trying to do my job, and it should not be the responsibility of any member of the public to threaten my life because I am trying to uphold the law. So, I am very empathetic to the situation that the family finds themselves in, having experienced it themselves and I understand personally how frightening and disruptive it is all the more so while navigating this incredibly traumatic time for your family."

Judge Bender continued, "I am just doing my job, you're dealing with a crisis. That's a huge difference and one for which I am very empathetic. I will also take this opportunity to editorialize, that I hope the press takes seriously their obligation to tell the stories of what happens in our courtroom in a fair and unbiased way and takes every reasonable editorial action to not stir up public sentiment for revenge."

Judge Bender ruled that the media could show Jimerson's face because the surveillance video had already been made public and increased his bail to $500,000 rather than $2 million as requested by the prosecutor.

In July, Judge Bender set bail at $50,000 for the man accused of shooting a grandmother multiple times at an ATM in front of her granddaughter.

The woman, who asked that her name be withheld for her safety, told the outlet, "I should have the right to have the peace of mind knowing they're locked up and I don't have that. I can guarantee you my medical bills far exceed that amount of money."

Earlier this year, Judge Bender lowered the bail of an accused accomplice in a double murder from $1,000,000 to $20,000. 

After the family was informed of the decision, they told the outlet, "Nobody is safe, you know, if he's out. $20,000 bail is not good enough to protect people.”

Last week, King County District Court Judge Veronica Galvan released a 17-year-old from custody who has been accused of driving under the influence in a crash that killed a US Army Staff Sergeant Bryan Tomaszewski. According to police, the unidentified minor admitted to vaping but said he did not know what was in the vape.

King County prosecutors argued for probable cause for vehicular homicide, but Galvan ruled there was insufficient information in the police report to find that the 17-year-old driver was high and released the suspect. 

“Separate from DUI, driving in a reckless manner, or driving with disregard for the safety of others are alternative prongs under the law that the Court can use to find probable cause for vehicular homicide,” King County Prosecutors told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI. 

Tomaszewski leaves behind a wife and a four-year-old daughter.

Galvan previously posted on Facebook, “What does resistance look like when you wear a black robe? I recognize that the institution I work for never expected me to occupy this space but I shall occupy it by acknowledging my privilege and recognizing the institution I love has been complicit in perpetuating oppression. I shall continue to educate, to learn, and to speak my truth as both a judge AND a woman of color as these identities are not mutually exclusive. I am grateful to be surrounded by colleagues who support me in this endeavor: ensuring our practices conform to our principles.”

In the post, she tagged Washington Supreme Court Justice Helen Whitener, King County Superior Court Judge Nicole AG Phelps, King County District Court Judge Becky Robertson, King County Municipal Court Judge Kim Walden, and King County Superior Court Judge Johanna Bender.

These judges are not alone in their activism. Though restrictions placed on police in 2020 following the George Floyd riots have been removed and more common-sense prosecutors and city councils have been elected, many continue to point the finger of blame for high crime levels at activist judges who refuse to hold suspects or sentence them appropriately.

Washington state was recently ranked as 2024’s most dangerous state in the US to live due to rampant crime. The Evergreen State beat out Oregon, Colorado, California, and other Democrat-controlled states to take the dubious "honor," based on a safety ranking evaluated by examining violent crime and property crime rates, traffic-related fatalities, and total law enforcement employees per capita of a given state.