Spokane man, convicted of domestic violence crime, gets more than 4 years in prison after texting gun videos to partner

A Spokane man with multiple convictions for domestic violence-related crimes received a 51-month federal prison sentence Tuesday after he sent a romantic partner videos of himself at a gun range and attempted to buy a new weapon.

Frederick D. Terrell, 43, was arrested after sending the videos to a woman in April 2022 from a Spokane gun range. Terrell was serving probation at the time for a second-degree domestic violence assault case against another woman that involved choking, according to court records. The case related to the videos prompted a federal indictment in October and was the first conviction obtained under a new initiative of the Eastern Washington U.S. Attorney’s Office that seeks to prosecute serious domestic violence cases, specifically those involving firearms.

“This is for community safety, it’s for family safety, and it’s for law enforcement safety,” U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref said this week of the Safe Homes and Safe Communities initiative, which was launched in the district in October.

While there are state and federal laws outlawing possession of firearms by felons, federal prosecutors can choose to indict cases, and will be pushing for charges intended to act as a “strong deterrent” against domestic violence perpetrators trying to obtain guns, the U.S. attorney said. Those cases are correlated with a greater likelihood of violence and death.

The push includes the hiring of a new special assistant to the U.S. attorney, Michael Vander Giessen, to handle cases and increased coordination with local law enforcement and prosecutors to determine which cases demonstrate a need for federal involvement, she said.

The partnership also includes advocates for domestic violence victims, she said. That can help refer cases to the U.S. attorney’s office, as they did in Terrell’s case.

Terrell, appearing Tuesday before U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rosanna M. Peterson, apologized for his actions and said he was attempting to end alcohol addiction while in jail. His attorney, Steve Hormel, told Peterson that Terrell did not mean the videos to be threatening, but that he was showing her he was “blowing off steam” while trying to get a commercial driver’s license and obtain steady employment after convictions in California and Washington. Hormel also said Terrell canceled his purchase of a firearm and forfeited a down payment on it voluntarily, “which was the right thing to do.”

“I know I’ve made some really bad decisions, but I’m ready to move forward with my life,” Terrell told Peterson.

Vander Giessen read a statement from the woman who was sent the videos in court, saying that she feared for her life when she saw them.

Hormel had asked for, at most, a three-year sentence for his client, while prosecutors wanted five years. The federal statute calls for a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Peterson said it was an “unusual offense,” noting that he hadn’t brandished a firearm but had sent videos. She noted his criminal history, including domestic violence assaults, in handing down her sentence.

“You do have a history of using violence, which is of great concern,” she said. The 51-month sentence was on the low end of guidelines established in the case, and he will serve three years of supervision upon release.

Terrell was listed in custody of the Spokane County Jail as of Wednesday morning.