Lacey man who killed his wife and mother-in-law sentenced to life in prison

Ricardo Gardin-Gonzalez, who fatally shot his wife and mother-in-law, and raped his stepdaughter before leading law enforcement on a wild chase through Lacey and Olympia last summer, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Thurston County Superior Court.

Gardin-Gonzalez previously pleaded not guilty to an extensive list of charges. On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree aggravated murder, domestic violence, while armed with a firearm; two counts of first-degree rape, domestic violence, while armed with a firearm; one count of first-degree rape of a child, domestic violence; two counts of first-degree kidnapping, domestic violence, while armed with a firearm; first-degree burglary, domestic violence, while armed with firearm; first-degree assault while armed with a firearm.

At the conclusion of the two-hour hearing in which Judge Jim Dixon heard from attorneys and family members, he sentenced Gardin-Gonzalez to life in prison without the chance of parole or early release.

The state had previously considered pursuing the death penalty for Gardin-Gonzalez, but Thurston County Prosecutor Jon Tunheim said Wednesday his office decided against it after weighing the additional trauma it might cause the children associated with the case.

“I did not see any value in putting these kids through a trial and appeals and hearings,” Tunheim said after Wednesday’s sentencing, adding that the pursuit of the death penalty could have taken a long time.

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Testimony

The victims’ family members made their statements to the court, then Prosecutor Tunheim laid out his sentencing recommendations, including life in prison without the possibility of parole for the two counts of aggravated murder.

“It’s one of the most heinous and brutal crimes I’ve seen in my career,” he said.

Gardin-Gonzalez’s attorney, Kelly Seago, said his client had never recovered from the death of his young son in 2017, which led to mental health issues that he sought to remedy with treatment. The boy died as the result of sudden infant death syndrome, according to the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office.

Gardin-Gonzalez “snapped,” Seago said.

Gardin-Gonzalez also read a prepared statement. In between sobs, he expressed regret and sorrow for his actions, saying “I don’t want anyone else to pay for what I’ve done.”

He told the court he is not a monster.

Judge Dixon extended gratitude toward each team of lawyers for remaining professional during the prior court proceedings before deciding to recite the facts of the case.

“I apologize — I’m not trying to alarm or to cause pain,” Dixon said. “I feel I have an obligation to the community to let them know what this case is all about before I impose a sentence.”

Judge weighs in

Dixon then laid out the sobering details of July 31, 2017:

Gardin-Gonzalez fatally shot Kimberly Redford, his mother-in-law, in the head while she slept on a recliner in the presence of his stepdaughter.

He forced his stepdaughter to go into the bathroom and undress before raping her in a bedroom.

He made his stepdaughter write a letter saying she lied about being raped, before he raped her a second time on the kitchen counter.

When his wife, Rachel Gardin-Gonzalez, returned to the house, he beat her for four hours, then shot and killed her.

With his son and stepdaughter in the car, Gardin-Gonzalez led police on a high-speed chase from Lacey to Olympia while firing gunshots at those pursuing him. Once he was stopped by the police, he attempted to commit suicide in the vehicle by shooting himself in the forehead.

The self-inflicted wound caused the case to be delayed while Gardin-Gonzalez recovered. However, he entered the courtroom under his own power on Wednesday.

“Mr. Gardin-Gonzalez, you are more than evil,” Judge Dixon said. “You killed two people. You raped your 11-year-old (step) daughter. That’s the reality of what happened.

“The reason this community builds prisons is to house people like you Mr. Gardin-Gonzalez,” Dixon said.

Dixon then imposed the sentence recommended by the state.

Family reacts

Rachel Gardin-Gonzalez’s brother, Frank Surber of Missouri, said he is satisfied with the sentence of life in prison.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “I think if any case deserves the death penalty, this is it.”

But he agreed that pursuing the death penalty would be asking too much of the children.

“He tried to take his own life,” he said about his brother-in-law, “so he knew there was a fate worse than death. Now, he’s going to suffer in prison for the rest of his life.”

Cox Media Group