Third-strike offender, sentenced to life in 1996, to go free
EVERETT — If Lawrence Dean Fillion were convicted today of robbing the same mini mart of the same armfuls of cigarettes and beer, he would face about 25 months in prison.
Under an outdated law, Fillion served nearly 25 years, with little hope of ever being released.
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Edirin Okoloko resentenced Fillion on Wednesday under new guidelines, with credit for time served. That means at some point in the next month, Fillion will be a free man.
Robbery in the second degree was considered a “strike” offense in Washington state when a jury convicted Fillion of that crime on July 24, 1996. It was Fillion’s third strike. A Superior Court judge sentenced him to life in prison, as required by law.
Legislators eliminated second-degree robbery as a strike offense in 2019, but did not make the change retroactive for dozens of offenders already serving life sentences.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/third-strike-offender-sentenced-to-life-in-1996-to-go-free/