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Family of Lakewood sexual assault victims still trying to get justice for daughters, 5 years later

TACOMA, Wash. — A family is speaking out after they say their twin daughters were molested by a man, with the alleged abuse going back to when their daughters were about 6 years old.

Members of the Kim family say that for nearly five years, they have been working with Lakewood Police and Pierce County prosecutors to try to get justice for their daughters.

Garrett Morrell is charged with four counts of first-degree child molestation after being on the run for nearly three years.

He was recently arrested and extradited from Kansas and appeared before a Washington judge last week.

Morrell pleaded not guilty to the charges.

“When (the) judge asked him (to enter a plea), and he said, ‘I’m not guilty,’ that sentence was so horrible,” said a member of the Kim family. “He has a wife. He has a family. But he did it to my children.”

The family says that their daughters, now 11, continue to live in fear. They shared artwork from one of the daughters, which includes the words “Keep me safe.”

The family says while they’re grateful for the law enforcement who brought Morrell in, they’re frustrated that his bail was set at $200,000.

They believe the number should be much higher, arguing that he is a danger to the community.

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