She’ll die behind bars. Ex-prison guard sentenced for ‘cold-blooded’ Kennewick murder

The former prison guard who kidnapped and murdered a Kennewick woman less than two years ago will die in prison.

Judge Cameron Mitchell on Friday sentenced Theresa L. Wiltse, 50, to life without parole for the murder of Sandra Harris in a failed attempt to collect a $250,000 ransom.

Life without parole was the only sentence available, but Mitchell said the crime wouldn’t have warranted leniency even if it was an option.

Harris’ husband, Randy, spoke emotionally at the hearing.

“I will hold her in my heart until I take my last breath,” said the Kennewick pawn shop owner.

“It was a cold-blooded murder from the get-go,” he said.

Wiltse, who lived in Connell, forced her way into their home when Sandra Harris, 69, was there alone in November 2016. Evidence showed Harris was shot and wounded there before being driven away.

In a chilling phone call using a voice-altering device, Wiltse demanded Randy Harris pay a $250,000 ransom.

But before Wiltse tried to collect the cash, Sandra Harris died and her body was left off a rural road south of Kennewick.

Wiltse pleaded guilty to aggravated first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping charges in January, two weeks before she was supposed to face a jury trial.

Wiltse declined to speak at Friday’s sentencing hearing in Benton County Superior Court. Her attorney said she took responsibility for what happened.

The charges included the aggravating circumstances that the murder was committed in the furtherance of a kidnapping, and that Wiltse used a gun in the crimes.

The crime was eligible for the death penalty under Washington law, but prosecutors opted not to pursue a capital case. Gov. Jay Inslee imposed a moratorium on the death penalty in 2014, citing inconsistent and unequal use of the punishment.

This month, the state Senate approved a bipartisan bill to repeal the death penalty. It is now pending in the House.

The murder of Sandra Harris shocked many Tri-Citians for its cruelty.

Harris, a retired accountant who worked for Boise Cascade for 40 years, was forced from her house just two days after celebrating her wedding anniversary.

Wiltse had pawned items at Randy Harris’ store, Ace Jewelry & Loan, and had called there two days before the kidnapping to say she would have the money to reclaim some of her items.

Wiltse was arrested in Franklin County after she collected the ransom money near Eltopia and tried to lose police by tossing out a tracker that police had placed in the bag. The cash, a gun, ammunition and blood were found in her rental car.

Wiltse had worked for a short time as a corrections officer at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.

She reportedly was addicted to the painkiller methadone.

Her husband, Michael Wiltse, believed his wife planned to travel to Seattle the day of the kidnapping after she made up a claim that she was going to collect $50,000 in worker’s compensation money.

This story was originally published February 23, 2018 at 10:25 AM with the headline "She’ll die behind bars. Ex-prison guard sentenced for ‘cold-blooded’ Kennewick murder."