Jury acquits couple of murder in bar shooting that killed Olympia man
Jurors have acquitted a Tenino couple accused of murdering an Olympia man at a Thurston County bar in 2024.
Curtis and Tabitha Gibson learned of their respective verdicts in Thurston County Superior Court Wednesday after a month-long jury trial. Both were found not guilty of first-degree murder while armed with a firearm.
The shooting occurred on April 16, 2024, at Old Highway 99 Company Bar and Grill near Offut Lake. Gaylord Travis Sayers of Olympia, 56, died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the torso, The Olympian previously reported. Bar patrons reportedly restrained the couple at the scene and told law enforcement Curtis Gibson, now 70, shot Sayers. In court, prosecutors alleged the Gibsons planned the shooting in between visits to the bar.
Sayers was a member of a motorcycle club that included the ex-husband of Tabitha Gibson, now 49, according to court records.
Public defense attorney Lindsey Millar represented Curtis Gibson along with Patrick O’Connor, Director of Public Defense. She said her client had a right to defend himself from members of the motorcycle club.
“The argument to the jury was simply that he was defending himself,” Millar told The Olympian. “He had been bullied by this group. They chased him out of this bar. They had no right to do that. And when (the Gibsons) returned, they weren’t happy about it and they attacked him.”
Both defendants had been in jail since their arrest over two years ago. Millar said the jail time took a physical and mental toll on Curtis Gibson.
“He will never be the same from this,” Millar said.
Judge Carol Murphy presided over the case. After the initial verdicts, she asked the jury to decide if Curtis Gibson proved by a “preponderance of the evidence” that he acted in self-defense. The purpose of that question was to decide if Curtis Gibson would be entitled to any reimbursement from the state, including for legal fees.
After brief arguments from each side, 10 out of 12 jurors answered no, which means he won’t be eligible for reimbursement.
Prior to the jury’s deliberation on the question, deputy prosecuting attorney Corey Thompson conceded to the jury that he “failed” to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was guilty; however, he still asked them to answer no to the self-defense question, saying it was the defendant’s burden to prove.
“Just because the state has not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that self-defense wasn’t available, does not mean that you have to answer yes on this instruction,” Thompson said.
Attorney Karl Alan Hack represented Tabitha Gibson. Hack said his client was just a passenger in her husband’s car during the shooting, so she did not argue self-defense. He said prosecutors accused her of being an accomplice.
“The jury apparently didn’t buy the state’s theory that this was some plan to go back and kill somebody,” Hack told The Olympian Wednesday. “ … I’m sure both of them are elated to be going home today.”
Attorneys Rosemary Fitzgerald and Emily Dawson prosecuted the Gibsons along with Thompson. All three declined to comment at the conclusion of the case.
What did prosecutors allege?
Dash camera footage showed the Gibsons drive to the bar to have a drink, according to a trial memorandum prosecutors filed. The couple reportedly argued with Sayers at the scene and drove away to another bar. They later returned to Old Highway 99 Company Bar and Grill, and Curtis Gibson opened fire, prosecutors alleged.
Curtis Gibson’s attorneys filed their own trial memorandum with the court. The memo states the Gibsons repeatedly had “unfriendly encounters” with Tabitha Gibson’s ex-husband and other members of the motorcycle club.
When they returned to the bar, the memo states Sayers confronted the couple with other motorcycle club members, including Tabitha Gibson’s ex-husband.
“A verbal and physical exchange took place at the driver’s side door, during which Mr. Gibson’s phone was taken and smashed,” the defense memo states. “Mr. Gibson ultimately fired his revolver from his vehicle, striking Mr. Sayers. (Motorcycle club) members continued their assault on Mr. Gibson and took his firearm. Mr. Sayers passed away at the scene.”
Investigators recovered four firearms from the scene, the memo states. One belonged to Curtis Gibson, but the remaining three belonged to motorcycle club members, including Sayers and Tabitha Gibson’s ex-husband, according to court records.
The memo states Curtis Gibson “asserted the defenses of general denial, self-defense, and defense of others.”
