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On Wednesday, The Dori Monson Show spoke with the grandmother of a teen girl who was strangled by a felon previously released from his first 鈥溾�� sentence by Washington State Court of Appeals.

And now, the Vancouver, Wash. attorney who prosecuted Roy Wayne Russell, Jr., for the 2005 killing, says 鈥渉e鈥檚 livid鈥� that state lawmakers have enacted a law that could free Russell 鈥� again 鈥� in four years.

鈥淚 am sickened. I am livid. And I am mad as a citizen, as well as a practitioner,鈥� former Clark County prosecutor Jim Senescu told Dori on Thursday.

Senescu, who is now in private legal practice, described Russell鈥檚 criminal history and the murder of Chelsea Harrison, then 14. Dori鈥檚 listeners first heard of the case Wednesday when he interviewed Chelsea鈥檚 grandmother, Sylvia Johnson.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a long and sad and very horrible story,鈥� described Senescu, who recalls the 2006 sentencing judge telling Russell that he was 鈥渢he poster boy for the Three-Strike Act.鈥�

Russell was freed from his first 鈥淭hree Strikes鈥� sentence in 2001 even after he was convicted of arson in 1998 for setting his former girlfriend鈥檚 Vancouver apartment on fire. When Clark County prosecutors tacked this case onto Russell鈥檚 1979 robbery and 1982 kidnapping convictions in Arizona, Washington state put him behind bars for life.

The state appeals court, however, vacated Russell鈥檚 first 鈥淭hree Strikes鈥� sentence when the judges decided that his Arizona kidnapping felony conviction didn鈥檛 correspond to the same charge here. That freed him in 2001.

Four years later, Senescu told Dori, Russell, then 46, was hosting parties at his Vancouver duplex for 12- to 18-year-olds. At one party, after other guests left, Russell 鈥渞aped, assaulted and murdered 鈥� strangled 鈥� Chelsea in the basement of his home, dumped her naked, upside-down in the shower, flooded his basement and fled.鈥�

Arrested two days later, Russell was convicted of three counts of homicide in 2006. Again, Russell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release under the 鈥淭hree Strikes Act.鈥�

But in 2019, the Legislature removed second-degree robbery from the state鈥檚 list of most-serious offenses. And in 2021, lawmakers made the change retroactive. The result: Russell has avoided 鈥淭hree Strikes鈥� for the second time and is now eligible for release in about four years.

How did this happen? Dori asked the former prosecutor.

鈥淲e can thank Washington state Senators (Jeannie) Darneille (Tacoma); (Mona) Das (Kent); (Patty) Kuderer (Bellevue); (Bob) Hasegawa (Seattle); (Marko) Liias (Lynnwood); (Rebecca) Salda帽a (Seattle); (Jesse) Salomon (Shoreline) and (Claire) Wilson (Auburn) for sponsoring Senate 5164,鈥� Senescu said.

The bill 鈥� now law 鈥� not only changed second-degree robbery from a serious 鈥淭hree Strikes鈥� offense going forward, 鈥渂ut they went one step further:鈥� they made it retroactive.

With that, Russell is on track to complete his 16.5-year sentence, dodge the 鈥淭hree Strikes Act鈥� and be released from prison in about four years.

Changes to the criminal justice system like this are 鈥渁bsolutely nuts. It鈥檚 crazy and especially in the last few years, it鈥檚 gotten out of hand. The pendulum has swing way too far.鈥�

If, in four years, Russell is freed and back on the streets, Dori asked, 鈥渄o you have any doubt that he is going to commit more crimes?鈥�

鈥淚 can鈥檛 speculate,鈥� Senescu replied, adding that if the past is a future indicator, 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 want him in my neighborhood.鈥�

Listen to Dori Monson weekday afternoons from noon 鈥� 3 p.m. on 成人X站 Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the聽podcast here.