Thurston County judge sentences Shane Brewer to decades-long prison term in 2018 murder
A Thurston County Superior Court Judge sentenced 34-year-old Shane Brewer to over 65 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of murder and several other related charges.
Judge James Dixon sentenced Brewer to 788 months incarceration for first-degree murder, robbery and burglary. The sentencing closes out a case that has gone through a mistrial in March 2020 and been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prosecutors accused Brewer of killing Loren VerValen, 45, at VerValen’s home off Old Highway 99 on Dec. 22, 2018, and of burglarizing a Big 5 sporting goods store in Olympia the day before.
Last year, the first jury found Brewer guilty of first-degree burglary, four counts of theft of a firearm, three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, second-degree malicious mischief, and possession of a stolen vehicle, the Olympian previously reported.
However, this jury could not reach a unanimous decision on the murder and robbery charges. On April 29, a second jury did – finding Brewer guilty of first-degree murder and robbery.
Thurston County Prosecutor Jon Tunheim recommended a sentence toward the high of the standard range, according to a county news release, and VerValen’s mother requested the highest sentence possible.
“This process has been difficult for Loren’s family, and while they will never have him back, the sentence ordered by the court today serves as some measure of closure and justice,” Tunheim said in a prepared statement.
Detectives with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office arrested Brewer in December 2018 and Tunheim’s office charged him with first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm in the first-degree and burglary in the first-degree while armed with a firearm.
During the April jury trial, Tunheim used Facebook messages, cell phone locations and evidence from the scene to argue that Brewer shot VerValen three times at his home with a .223 rifle that he previously stole from the Big 5 sporting goods store.
Tunheim also contended Brewer did this as he robbed VerValen of several possessions, including his Mustang vehicle. The jury ultimately agreed with Tunheim and issued their verdict the same day closing arguments concluded.
Since his initial arrest, Brewer has been held in the Thurston County jail. He will now serve his sentence in the custody the Washington State Department of Corrections.
