PORT ANGELES – A 19-year-old Sequim man was sentenced last week to a minimum of 9 years and a maximum of life in prison after pleading guilty to Attempted Rape of a pregnant woman in August of last year.
Prosecutors dismissed two less serious charges against Timothy Gaskill in exchange for sparing the survivor the need to testify in what Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Matt Roberson described as “every family’s nightmare.”
Court documents show that Gaskill entered the home of a Sequim family in the early morning hours of August 8, woke up the woman who was home alone with her three children and demanded sex from her. Gaskill threatened to kill the woman’s children if she did not have sex with him or made any more noise. The woman begged Gaskill to leave and eventually convinced Gaskill to walk out of the house.
Law enforcement officers say evidence pointed to Gaskill, who had been released from a juvenile facility a week before, lived nearby, and had previously lived in the house occupied by the victim.
Gaskill will serve 9 years in prison before he is considered eligible for release. A Sentencing Review Board will then determine if Gaskill should be released. The Board has the discretion to keep Gaskill incarcerated for up to a life term.
Judge Lauren Erickson granted lifetime Sexual Assault Protection Orders for the survivor.