Bellingham man to spend decades in prison for using ruse, killing man in October 2020
The Bellingham man who used a ruse with a woman in October 2020 to lure a Bellingham man to rural northern Whatcom County before shooting and killing him will spend more than three decades in prison.
Zachary Scott Ranahan, 35, pleaded guilty Tuesday, Nov. 16, to first-degree murder in Whatcom County Superior Court for the death of 41-year-old Clinton E. Gulick. Ranahan was also sentenced the same day to 34¼ years in prison, with three years probation.
Ranahan was given an agreed sentence recommended by both the prosecution and defense in exchange for him pleading guilty as charged.
He will also be required to undergo a substance use disorder evaluation and treatment as part of his sentencing.
Ranahan’s co-defendant, Roseanne Louise Paden, 37, of Bellingham, is facing a first-degree murder charge for her role in Gulick’s death. Her criminal case is still pending and she is tentatively scheduled to go to trial Jan. 31, 2022, court records show.
She is currently being held in the Whatcom County Jail in lieu of $1.5 million bail.
Ranahan will also be required to pay $4,749.76 in restitution, according to court documents.
During Ranahan’s sentencing hearing Tuesday, Whatcom County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Erik Sigmar said while the recommendation for Ranahan to be sentenced to a little more than 34 years was on the low end, it was in recognition of the early resolution of the case. He said a “certain finality” comes with Ranahan’s guilty plea and that the deal was generally supported by Gulick’s family.
“This was a heinous and callous and completely needless crime,” Sigmar said. “Most pleas are to lesser or reduced charges. The defendant is taking responsibility and pleading guilty as charged and that’s significant.”
Kathleen Peters, Gulick’s eldest sister, read a letter on behalf of Gulick’s mother at Ranahan’s sentencing. Gulick was his mother’s only son and she said she was unable to keep her promise she made him when he was younger to protect him, the statement said.
“He survived … cancer while living on the streets. … The cancer was not what killed him. Human hands chose to shoot him and Clinton will never get the opportunity to see his son and daughters again, or watch his grandchildren grow up,” Gulick’s mother’s statement read. “He was not a perfect person, but he couldn’t have done anything so extreme to lose his life over it.”
Gulick’s mother’s statement said her son enjoyed singing and playing music, including singing silly songs. She said he was taken too young.
During her own statement read in court, Peters said she and her siblings will never have the opportunity to make peace with their brother or let him know he was loved. She also asked the judge to sentence Ranahan to life in prison — the maximum time allowed.
“Clinton was a son, Clinton was a father, Clinton was a husband, Clinton was a brother and Clinton was a friend. We are here today representing him,” Peters said. “I speak for myself when I say I want this man to be able to think long and hard about the terrible crime he committed towards my brother.”
Ranahan’s defense attorney, Ryan Swinburnson, said these types of cases are difficult for everyone involved and it’s hard for the defense to provide a source of solace to the family. He said he hoped the resolution in the case was a step in that direction.
Swinburnson said Ranahan was receiving the highest amount of time for a client he’s ever had, and that Ranahan did so knowingly and willingly in order to take responsibility for his actions.
He said having the case resolved is not only a way for Gulick’s family to have closure, but was also a benefit to the citizens of Whatcom County.
“There’s no other way to say it, it is a heinous act. It is the worst type of charge. But he is taking responsibility for the worst kind of charge and is taking the plea as is,” Swinburnson said.
Before sentencing Ranahan to the agreed recommended time of 34¼ years in prison, Whatcom County Superior Court Judge David Freeman said he hoped Ranahan reflected on his actions and comes out of prison in a better place than what brought him there.
“In cases like this, oftentimes I reflect on the fact that at the end of the day, no matter what my sentence is here, Mr. Ranahan, you do have a second shot. And that’s something the victim in this case is never going to have. I often say that because it’s reflective of the significance of a prison sentence,” Freeman said. “At the same time, in this particular case, I’m really at a loss because frankly, the brutality and the callousness in which it occurred, I don’t have much to say beyond that. The crime was heinous and it’s frankly reflected in the prison sentence.”
Freeman said he believed the recommended sentence was appropriate given the finality in the case.
