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Clemency board recommends pardon for Paul Statler but withholds firearm rights
Summary
The Washington Clemency and Pardons Board voted 4-0 to recommend a pardon for Paul Statler — convicted as a 16-year-old and later exonerated — while conditioning the pardon by withholding restoration of firearm rights for now; board cited juvenile prosecution practices and Statler’s reintegration but expressed concern over recent traffic infractions.
The Washington Clemency and Pardons Board on June 12 voted unanimously to recommend a pardon for Paul Statler but attached a condition withholding restoration of his firearm rights at this time.
Jackie McMurtry of the Washington Innocence Project urged the board to exercise mercy for Statler, who was prosecuted as an adult at 16 in 2003 and later exonerated of a longer string of convictions. McMurtry told the board Statler has rebuilt his life, cares for his son and faces ongoing limitations from a recent heart condition.
"We are asking this board to exercise mercy by recommending to the governor that Mr. Statler be pardoned for a crime he committed more than 23 years ago when he was only 16," McMurtry said in her presentation. Statler told the board he takes responsibility for youthful mistakes, described steady work caring for his son and said a pardon would remove barriers to housing, jobs and travel.
Family testimony and organizational support reinforced the petition. Laura Baker, Statler’s sister, described Paul as a consistent caregiver and the primary support for an aging parent. Lara Zarrowsky, executive director of the Washington Innocence Project, urged the board to restore Statler’s rights and noted the trauma and long-term harms that follow wrongful prosecutions and convictions.
Board members voiced two competing concerns: the extraordinary harms of prosecuting a 16-year-old as an adult and Statler’s demonstrated rehabilitation, contrasted with a recent pattern of traffic infractions and questions about whether gun rights should be restored. Board Member Kazi Joshua moved to recommend a pardon but to withhold restoration of firearm rights; Board Member Rhonda Salveson seconded the motion. The board voted 4-0 in favor of the conditional pardon, making clear the decision is a recommendation to the governor and that Statler may petition later for restoration of firearm rights.
The motion and vote leave in place an administrative path for Statler to seek firearm-rights restoration in the future but do not restore those rights as part of the board’s recommendation. The board also noted the Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office had told the board that victims did not support restoration of rights and that the office neither supported nor opposed the petition but asked the board to review the criminal history in making its decision.
What happens next: The recommendation and hearing record will be forwarded to the governor’s office for final action.
