Spokane man who raped two girls, killed another in 1980s denied parole
May 21-An 83-year-old convicted rapist, kidnapper and murderer did not make parole once again and will spend an additional 15 years in prison.
The Washington State Indeterminate Sentence Review Board announced this week that it denied the parole of Arbie D. Williams and added 180 months to his sentence, according to a Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney's Office news release. His potential release date was July.
Williams' violent crimes stem from the early 1980s.
Williams lured two 8-year-old girls from Trentwood Elementary School while pretending to be the husband of one of their teachers, according to the release. After driving to an isolated area, he forced them to strip naked and raped one of them. The other child fled from the vehicle, escaped through the woods and got help. With her escape, Williams moved locations, taking the remaining child with him.
Following multiple sexual assaults, he choked her unconscious and left her for dead in a field, prosecutors said. She later awoke and after much effort was able to make her way to a farmhouse. The girls backtracked to the scenes and investigators collected key evidence that led them to Williams. Following his detention, both children were able to identify Williams as the man who kidnapped them.
Williams pleaded guilty to first-degree rape and first-degree kidnapping. He was sentenced to 30 years to life for the rape and 29 to life for the kidnapping.
At the time of his crimes Williams was on parole, having been convicted of numerous offenses in Washington and elsewhere, according to the release.
While serving his sentence for the crimes against the two girls in 1983, advances in DNA technology allowed law enforcement to identify Williams as the culprit in the kidnapping, rape and murder of 15-year-old Linda Strait in 1982. After killing the teenager, Williams dumped her body in the Spokane River. She was later found by a passing citizen walking his dog.
At the time, investigators had limited leads and the case went cold. Subsequent investigation and testing matched DNA collected in 1982 to Williams. He was charged in 2004 and ultimately pleaded guilty to the murder of Strait. He received a 20-year sentence to be served concurrently with his 1983 convictions for rape and kidnapping.
During the board's parole review, it determined Williams refused to attend hearings, leaving the board unable to accurately access his rehabilitation. It said Williams made little progress in prison treatment programs, was at high risk to reoffend and that his lack of insight into why he committed his crimes and limited insight into interventions demonstrated a lack of rehabilitation, the release stated.
"Williams is not fully rehabilitated nor is he a fit subject for release," the board said.
Spokane County Prosecutor Preston McCollam applauded the board's decision to extend Williams' sentence.
"This is a relief for the survivors and for our community," McCollam said in the release. "I am thankful the board took into consideration all aspects of this case and the risk of Williams reoffending despite his age. They truly listened to the victims and survivors of his atrocities. I am encouraged by the support from the community for Williams' crime victims and am especially thankful to all who submitted comments to the ISRB."
Prior to the board's decision, survivors of William's crimes and members of the victim families urged the board to extend his prison term, according to a release from the prosecutor's office earlier this month.
The family members spoke through tears about the pain of reliving the kidnapping, rapes and murder every time another hearing or parole requirement arises.
Strait's cousin, Theresa Briggs, told the board she spent the past year pouring over Williams' files including documentation of his mental state, behavior and psychological traits in preparation for the parole review.
"To say I am angry that we must again plead with you to deny him parole just five years later after his last hearing is a profound understatement," she said.
Williams was previously eligible for parole on his life sentence for the rapes of the two girls, but Washington's Indeterminate Sentence Review board denied him that opportunity in 2010 and 2019, according to previous Spokesman-Review reporting.
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