Rapist released despite two life terms

Thon J. Edwards was sentenced to back-to-back life terms in February 1984 for breaking into a South Hill apartment and raping two women at knifepoint.

But after 22 years, the convicted rapist is back on the streets of Spokane.

Edwards, now 46, is among the last of the state’s convicts sentenced under old Washington laws that allowed a state parole board to make the final decision on how long Edwards would serve behind bars – and left victims out of the loop. About 500 of the state’s more than 17,000 inmates are serving prison terms under the former system, called “indeterminate sentencing.”

“Under the old indeterminate sentencing, a judge made a statement about what the sentence should be on the record, and then it was up to a parole board to decide,” said Jeri Costa, chair of Washington’s Indeterminate Sentence Review Board. “A life sentence didn’t really mean life; most of the time that translated to 13 years.”

Edwards could not be located for comment, and correction officers who are monitoring him would not reveal his new address. But records show he registered as a sex offender after moving to downtown Spokane and will remain under state supervision for at least three years.

Edwards is not wanted, police officials said.

His victims, who were 20 years old at the time of the rape, also could not be located for comment.

According to news articles, Edwards arrived in Spokane in 1983 after escaping from a Missoula halfway house. He forced his way into the apartment, tied up the women, armed himself with a butcher knife and raped them.

Not only was Edwards’ sentence later changed; the women he raped were likely not informed, officials said. At the time he was sentenced, Washington did not have a victim notification program, state officials said. For that same reason, it’s also possible the women don’t know Edwards was released from prison late last month.

“On those old sentences, the victims would have no idea when the person was going to be released because the state wasn’t required to notify them,” said Steve Eckstrom, manager of Washington’s Victim Services Program. “Now the parole board will notify people, but on those old sentences they may not.”

If a person is convicted of rape today, the victim can sit in the courtroom and walk away knowing the minimum time the offender will spend in prison, instead of an unlikely maximum sentence like the one given in Edwards’ case.

According to state statutes, the sentence for first-degree rape ranges from about 7 ½ years to life, depending on previous criminal behavior.

A county prosecutor often will make a recommendation for a sentence, and if a judge agrees, that’s the minimum time an offender spends in prison, said Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor John Love. After the minimum sentence has been served, a parole board can decide to keep a criminal locked up longer or release the inmate.

A statute requiring victim notification took effect in 1985, Eckstrom said, adding that even though the law didn’t exist until after Edwards’ conviction, his victims could have enrolled in the notification program. However, the women would have had to contact the state on their own.

“We can still enroll victims from crimes that happened prior to 1985,” Eckstrom said. “When we do enroll someone, the information and even whether or not they are enrolled is protected.”

He could not confirm or deny whether Edwards’ victims were in the program, and the state Department of Corrections could not say whether the women were notified of the rapist’s release.

But Eckstrom talked about the importance of letting people know when the person who attacked them will be released.

“It gives people the opportunity to know that the person will be out in the community so they won’t be surprised if they see them.”