Family of man hit, killed by Whatcom Co. driver: ‘Memories are all we have left’
A 27-year-old Whatcom County woman will spend a little more than a decade in prison for hitting and killing a 38-year-old Deming man with her car in May 2022.
Rayven Taylor Dan Butler-Washington was sentenced March 11 in Whatcom County Superior Court to 10 years, four months in prison, with three years probation, for the May 6, 2022 death of Pablo Skrehelem Rabang.
Butler-Washington pleaded guilty Nov. 13 to one count of second-degree murder. She was originally charged with first-degree murder, vehicular homicide and hit and run resulting in death, but her charges were amended down as part of a plea deal, court documents show.
Prior to sentencing, numerous family members and friends wrote impact statements and submitted them to the court urging the court to hold Butler-Washington accountable for her actions and to provide justice for Rabang’s death. Multiple people also spoke at Butler-Washington’s sentencing hearing March 11, according to court documents.
In their impact statements, friends and family described Rabang as an intelligent, loving, creative man dedicated to family and his children. Several people described Rabang’s kindness and humor, stating that he always knew how to make someone laugh, no matter the circumstances.
“The world not only lost a son, brother, cousin, nephew, godson, father, friend, but someone who brought joy and laughter and a better place to the world. It was not your time Lito. Parents should never have to bury their children,” Deborah Alexander, Rabang’s aunt and godmother, wrote to the court. “You may have had your struggles but it never stopped you from living your life to the fullest and being you — funny, silly, trying to be serious at times, but real.”
Rabang was “wise beyond his time”, made his loved ones feel special and provided good advice when it was needed, family and friends wrote. He had a vocational welding degree and many family members considered him their protector.
“Normally death happens due to old age or sickness; in this case it was neither. My uncle was purposely taken (from) me, my family, his siblings, his parents, and his kids. He was yanked out of this life deliberately without a say, no choice,” Sonia Rabang wrote in a statement to the court. “There is not a day that goes by where I don’t think about my uncle and all the memories we had with him. Memories are all we have left of him.”
Rabang’s family and friends told the court that Rabang, who suffered from addiction, did not deserve to die the way he did and did not deserve to have his life cut short. Multiple people wrote to the court hoping to convey the impact Rabang and his life had on them and his extended family. Most asked the court for justice for Rabang’s death, with some expressing fear that it wouldn’t be served.
“I pray that this court delivers an appropriate sentence to this young lady, so she may realize the totality of the damage that she has done to those who must go on living with the pain of the absence of the the life of the one that they held so dear,” Chief Robert Gladstone, Rabang’s uncle, wrote to the court. “We must bear the weight of our shortcomings, and this young lady must bear the weight of the life that she extinguished.”
Character letters
Multiple people, including two Whatcom County Jail chaplains, also wrote and submitted character letters for Butler-Washington, asking for leniency and for the court to give her a second chance.
One of the jail chaplains wrote that throughout the time she had met with Butler-Washington during her incarceration, she had watched Butler-Washington’s focus move from being on herself to caring for the well-being of the other women incarcerated in her housing unit.
The chaplain wrote that she strongly believed Butler-Washington was remorseful for her actions and the impacts those actions had on other people. She also wrote that she didn’t believe Butler-Washington would be a danger to others once released from prison, and said that Butler-Washington had good plans in place following her release.
At least three women who were incarcerated with Butler-Washington also wrote character references. Each said they believed Butler-Washington deserved a second chance, and each said their time while incarcerated was made better by Butler-Washington and her actions while in the Whatcom County Jail.
Several described Butler-Washington as caring, and stated she often would brush women’s hair, help those who were withdrawing from drugs or alcohol, and would provide food and toiletries from her personal items she got at the jail commissary to others, according to court records.
“I know that if she could go back and do things different she would. She shows extreme remorse for her actions and I know things would have been done different,” a woman who had been incarcerated with Butler-Washington for nearly a year wrote in a letter to the court. “I have seen her grow tremendously! She seems like a totally different person than when she was caught up in addiction. … Everyone makes mistakes, I know she is a different person now.”
Butler-Washington’s mother, Teresa Ray S. Bumatay, also wrote a letter to the court regarding her daughter’s character. Bumatay wrote that she hoped her letter would “show my daughter’s human side and the impact of her actions on her family and her son.” Bumatay also said she hoped the letter would provide information that would help a judge understand Butler-Washington’s positive qualities and potential for “rehabilitation and redemption.”
Bumatay wrote that her daughter’s life has been marred by struggle, but that she has used her strength to overcome those obstacles. She said her daughter was remorseful for her actions and saddened by the “shadow” cast over the two families’ “shared lives.” Bumatay said her daughter is a good person and holds lots of love for her family and her son. Bumatay said she believed that with the love, support and guidance of family, Butler-Washington could overcome her current challenges and emerge a stronger person, according to court documents.
“I acknowledge that Rayven has encountered difficulties and made mistakes along the way. However, her journey is defined not by the missteps she has taken, but by her resilience and determination to learn from them. Despite facing her darkest moments, she continues to strive for self-improvement and growth,” Bumatay wrote to the court. “She is not defined by her mistakes, but by her capacity for love, compassion, and redemption.”
Sentenced
Butler-Washington’s standard sentencing range, based on her lack of criminal history and the nature of her conviction, was between 10 years and three months in prison to 18 years and four months in prison.
The prosecutor was expected to recommend a prison sentence of 15 years in prison for Butler-Washington, while her public defense attorney was expected to recommend the lowest sentence of 10 years and three months in prison.
Ultimately, the judge sentenced Butler-Washington to 10 years and four months in prison — one additional month than the lowest possible sentence for her crime. Butler-Washington will be required to be on probation for three years following her release from prison, court documents state.
This story was originally published March 21, 2024 at 4:00 PM.
