From the Pierce County Prosecutor’s office:
Today Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist announced his office will be recommending two life sentences without the possibility of parole for Dean Holmes, 40, who killed his wife and daughter earlier this year. Holmes pleaded guilty as charged to two counts of Aggravated Murder in the First Degree last week.
The only possible sentences for Aggravated Murder are life without the possibility of parole and the death penalty.
“Dean Holmes will be spending the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole,” Lindquist said. “I made this decision after consultation with leaders in the office. We took into account the severity of his crimes, his remorse as demonstrated by his surrender to law enforcement and expeditious plea of guilty, his lack of felony criminal history, the likelihood of the death penalty being upheld, and other factors. We also talked with the family and they are supportive of this decision. Balancing all considerations, I believe justice is achieved by two life sentences without the possibility of parole.”
Around 6 a.m. on August 28, 2012, the defendant pulled a .38 caliber revolver from a dresser drawer and shot his wife of 12 years, Christy Holmes, as she lay sleeping in bed in their Spanaway home. Violet Holmes, the couple’s 11-year-old daughter, was sleeping in the living room with a friend. Both girls slept through the gunfire, which was drowned out by a fan running nearby.
After killing his wife, the defendant woke the girls and drove the friend to her home in Auburn where he dropped her off. On the return trip with his daughter, the defendant pulled over to the side of the road and shot her as she lay sleeping in the back seat. The defendant turned himself in at the Pierce County Jail the morning of August 29 and disclosed he had shot his wife and daughter.
Imposition of the death penalty requires that the Prosecutor seek the sentence, a jury unanimously agree upon the sentence, and that all appellate courts, both Federal and State, affirm the sentence.
