Judge sentences Bellingham woman for 2021 murder of Langley man
A Bellingham woman who fatally shot a man in 2021 was sentenced to over 23 years in prison in Whatcom County Superior Court on Tuesday.
Lynda Clare Mercy, 67, was found guilty of second-degree murder on Feb. 23 for the killing of 67-year-old Thomas Flood of Langley in April 2021. Mercy shot Flood twice in Coupeville and drove him up to Blaine in his white van before dropping his body by the Semiahmoo Spit, where he was found by two teens.
Mercy was identified as a suspect and arrested on April 13, 2021 on a charge of second-degree murder with a firearm enhancement. Her trial began in February 2026 and lasted for two and a half weeks.
Six of Flood’s relatives provided victim impact statements at Mercy’s sentencing, including his sister. She described Flood as a “quiet, good, wonderful man,” and that his death “leaves a void in many lives.”
Flood’s niece, Jane May, said her uncle’s death created a “permanent hole in our hearts.”
“My uncle should be able to laugh and enjoy life,” she said.
Multiple relatives brought up the difficulty of having such a lengthy legal process, with one niece calling it “hell on Earth.”
Prosecutors asked for a sentence at the top of the standard range, which would be 280 months including a five-year enhancement for the use of a firearm. Chief Deputy Prosecutor Erik Sigmar called the proposed sentence – which Judge Robert Olson ultimately followed – a “just punishment” that would protect the public.
Sigmar pointed to the randomness of the murder, the fact that Flood likely didn’t die immediately after he was shot and the lack of accountability or remorse from Mercy.
Mercy’s attorneys requested a sentence either below or at the bottom of the standard range, which begins at 123 months. They submitted a mitigation report outlining a history of abuse, poverty, trauma and mental illness experienced by Mercy.
Senior Deputy Public Defender Shoshana Paige asked Olson to remember that he is sentencing a person, not just a crime. She added that Mercy is a “valued member of her community,” and that she has no felony history.
Mercy did not address the court.
Olson deliberated his sentence in his chambers for twenty minutes. He said it was one of the most difficult decisions he’s had to make, and that he was “moved deeply” by the victim impact statements.
Olson said he was sympathetic to Mercy’s past and her mental health issues; however, he did not consider them mitigating factors.
He ultimately sentenced Mercy to 280 months in prison followed by three years in community custody. She will receive credit for the roughly five years she’s already served.