Pair allegedly lured man to rural Whatcom before murdering him; second suspect sought
Two Bellingham residents allegedly used a ruse to lure a Bellingham man to rural northern Whatcom County before shooting and killing him Sunday morning, according to Whatcom County Superior Court records.
One of the suspects has been arrested, while the second is still on the run, according to a Monday press release from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives from the sheriff’s office were called to the 4000 block of Mosquito Lake Road at around 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11. They found 41-year-old Clinton E. Gulick face down in the gravel next to a running car at a construction site north of the Middle Fork Bridge. Gulick had been shot five times and was declared dead at the scene, according to court records.
Roseanne Louise Paden, 36, was booked into Whatcom County Jail Sunday evening on suspicion of first-degree murder. At her first appearance in court Monday a court comissioner set her bail at $1.5 million. Formal charges are expected to be filed by the end of the day Tuesday, according to Whatcom County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Evan Jones.
The sheriff’s office is asking for the public’s help in locating 34-year-old Zachary Scott Ranahan. Ranahan is described as a white male, 5-foot-6, 170 pounds and bald with hazel eyes. He may still be armed with the handgun he allegedly used to kill Gulick and should be considered armed and dangerous, according to the sheriff’s office press release. He may be attempting to flee, the release states.
Ranahan is wanted on a first-degree murder charge, according to charging documents filed in court Monday. His charges include an aggravating factor for allegedly committing the crime while armed with a firearm, the court records show.
Anyone who sees Ranahan or knows where he is has been asked to call 911 or the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office’s Detectives Hotline at 360-778-6663.
First court appearance
At Paden’s first appearance in Whatcom County Superior Court Monday, Jones, the prosecutor, said Paden was involved and participated in the events that led to Gulick’s death and that she presented an ongoing danger to the community. He said that Ranahan, who is the alleged shooter, is still at large and Paden helped him flee from the scene of the alleged crime.
Jones said that if Paden were to be released on bail, it would create a heightened danger for the community and there would be a high likelihood of her not appearing in court. He also said her release could create the potential to interfere with the case with Ranahan not in custody.
“What’s clear is that the acts as alleged are significant, are violent and place the community in danger. What I want to emphasize to the court are the alleged behavior of drug use (and) of the luring behavior that brought this (man) who ended up being the victim of the homicide to a rural location where he could be essentially executed,” Jones said.
Jones asked the commissioner to set bail at $1.5 million.
Starck Follis, the director of the Whatcom County Public Defender’s Office, said Paden has been a lifetime resident of Whatcom County and has had a full-time job for the past two years. Follis said Paden also has little criminal history.
“Overall, despite the fact that she has been in Whatcom County all of her 36 years, she certainly has not much come in contact with the law. I would submit to the court ... that Mr. Jones’ characterization of Ms. Paden’s involvement in this thing is perhaps somewhat overstated,” Follis said.
Follis said it’s unclear what Paden knew in terms of what Ranahan would do when Gulick showed up to the location in rural Whatcom County, and that Ranahan allegedly described various scenarios to Paden about what would happen. Follis also said that Paden has fully cooperated with law enforcement.
Follis asked the commissioner to set bail at $100,000, due to Paden’s lack of criminal history and her minimal involvement in the alleged crime.
Whatcom County Superior Court Commissioner Angela Cuevas said Paden is facing a very serious charge. Cuevas said she was concerned that Paden allegedly used a ruse to get Gulick to the location, that Paden was allegedly aware Ranahan had a gun, and that Paden allegedly participated in the crime.
Cuevas found Paden was a risk to community safety and set her bail at $1.5 million.
The crime
When sheriff’s detectives found Gulick, they found a key card in his wallet for a hotel on Lakeway Drive. When a detective was speaking with the hotel front desk staff Sunday to see if Gulick had rented a room, Paden approached the detective and asked who he was looking for. Paden told the detective she had been friends with Gulick and he had been staying at the hotel with her, according to court records.
Paden also told the detective she was present when Gulick was shot and killed, the court records state.
In an interview with detectives, Paden said Ranahan shot and killed Gulick, according to court records. Paden said she had sexual relationships with Gulick and Ranahan and that the men did not like each other, the records state. She said Gulick had threatened to kill or have someone else kill Ranahan, the records show.
On Sunday, Paden was hanging out with Ranahan and the pair allegedly used narcotics, while Gulick was at the hotel. Paden allegedly told Ranahan about Gulick’s threats to kill him and told him to be careful, court records state. During a phone conversation between Paden and Gulick, Ranahan allegedly heard Gulick calling him names and threatening him, the records show.
Ranahan “did not want to die and indicated he had to take care of Gulick,” the court records state.
Paden contacted Gulick and told him she was having vehicle problems, and he agreed to come help her. Paden and Ranahan drove to the 4000 block of Mosquito Lake Road, where they parked her car off the roadway, the records state.
During the drive, Ranahan allegedly displayed and pointed a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun he had, records show. He also told Paden several scenarios about what would happen when Gulick arrived. The pair opened the hood of Paden’s vehicle to make it appear as if it broke down, the records show.
Ranahan hid until Gulick arrived. When Gulick arrived, Ranahan approached Gulick with his gun out, yelled at him and made him sit down, court records state. Gulick allegedly begged Ranahan to put the gun away, but Ranahan shot Gulick once, according to court records. Paden said she could hear Gulick crying, the records state.
Ranahan then shot Gulick several more times, the court records show.
Ranahan and Paden got into Paden’s vehicle and fled to Ranahan’s friend’s house. Ranahan left with his friend to clean Paden’s car, the court records state.
Paden later went back to the hotel to check out, which is when she ran into the sheriff’s detective, according to court records.
Ranahan’s history
Ranahan served a two-year prison sentence for the armed robbery of Cruisin Coffee on Calluna Court in March 2010, when Ranahan and another man threatened two baristas with knives, according to charging papers. Ranahan confessed to the crime a day later, when he was detained for running off with $4,000 worth of rings from a Bellingham jewelry store.
Six years later, almost to the day, Ranahan was arrested to face charges of robbing Buzz Thru Coffee on Meridian Street. He had ordered an espresso shake from a barista at the drive-up window on March 15, 2015, and as she turned around to make it, Ranahan climbed through the window and demanded money, court records show. He was sentenced to 3½ in prison in 2017 after a jury convicted him of second-degree burglary and robbery.
In addition, Whatcom County Superior Court records show he has previous convictions for criminal impersonation, criminal trespassing, possession of a controlled substance, theft, forgery and bail jumping.
This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 2:21 PM.
