’I’m so sorry that I failed Clint’ — woman sentenced for luring lover to his death

A Bellingham woman who used a ruse with another man to lure someone she called her “best friend” to rural northern Whatcom County — where he was gunned down and left for dead — will spend half as much time in prison as the man who pulled the trigger.

On Thursday, March 30, a Whatcom County Superior Court judge sentenced Roseanne Louise Paden, 38, to 15 years in prison with three years probation, for the Oct. 11, 2020, shooting death of 41-year-old Clinton E. Gulick.

Paden pleaded guilty March 16 to one count of second-degree murder during motions preceding her jury trial. Paden had previously been charged with first-degree murder, but her charge was amended as part of a plea deal, according to court records.

Paden’s co-defendant in Gulick’s murder, Zachary Scott Ranahan, was sentenced to 34¼ years in prison, with three years probation, in November 2021. Ranahan shot Gulick at least five times in the 4000 block of Mosquito Lake Road in October 2020 before he and Paden fled, The Bellingham Herald previously reported.

Failure to act

Whatcom County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Erik Sigmar said Thursday in court that while Paden may have been in a weakened state due to domestic violence abuse and drug addiction, that did not excuse or explain her actions the night Gulick died.

“He would not have borrowed a car and scraped together what little money he had to buy gas and drive out to the middle of nowhere to rescue Roseanne Paden at five o’clock in the morning, not knowing that Zachary Ranahan was there lying in wait with a loaded firearm and the desire to kill,” Sigmar said.

The 15 years of prison time for Paden was a recommended amount agreed upon between the prosecution and defense, Sigmar said, adding that he believed it struck a balance between accountability and Paden’s mitigating circumstances.

Director of the Whatcom County Public Defender’s Office Starck Follis said Thursday that Paden could have gotten away after Gulick’s death, but instead provided crucial information to law enforcement that led them to Ranahan. Paden was also expected to testify against Ranahan during his jury trial, Follis said, but he pleaded out instead.

Follis said text messages and calls Paden made to Gulick alluded to having issues with her car on the evening of Gulick’s death, but she did not warn Gulick that he was being lured to the remote area in Deming for Ranahan to murder him.

Follis said Ranahan pulled the trigger on the .45-caliber gun, which was never recovered. He added that no motive on Paden’s part had been developed for Gulick’s death.

Follis said he and Paden discussed the “ultimate disrespect” she paid Gulick by leaving him face down in the gravel to die. He said the night prior, the two had spent the night together and had previously discussed marriage.

“I think at the end of the day, she was very, very frightened. I think she was very, very high. And I think that given her history of taking directions from the men in her life that goes back ... decades really affected her judgment,” Follis said, calling the case a “failure to act.”

Follis said Paden had a responsibility to help her friend, which she failed to do. He asked the judge to follow the agreed sentencing recommendation, adding that it was a bitter pill for him and his office to swallow.

“Ms. Paden has shown remorse for her actions since the beginning of this case. She had no motive for this terrible crime to be committed and did not plan it in advance. She did what she was told to do by a controlling personality who did have motive for the murder. At times, she was afraid for her life and regrets not being a stronger person,” Follis said in a statement sent to The Herald after court.

Family of five

Kathleen Peters, Gulick’s eldest sister, said the family has patiently waited for answers, but said there have been few. She said Gulick never would have gone out that night had he not been made to believe Paden needed help.

“Roseanne Paden stated to a sheriff’s detective that this was her best friend. This is what she did to her best friend,” Peters said. She asked the judge to sentence Paden to the maximum prison time allowed of 18¼ years.

Melanie Araica, one of Gulick’s daughters, said she and her siblings’ sense of protection was lost forever when their father was shot to death two-and-a-half years ago.

“We were just a family of five, writing off the ugly parts of the world; a family of lotuses who grew up in the dirt underwater, and made to find a way to the top to blossom, breaking generations of passed-on trauma,” she said.

Her father struggled with addiction, Araica said, but he will never get to see his children or grandchildren grow up, the garden the family has built, or the place they now call home.

Gulick’s eldest daughter, Stephanie Morris, said her father was a kind man. She said Gulick took her and her sister in as if they were his own biological children.

“He was always there when you needed him, and he wasn’t perfect,” Morris said, adding that her father would always make people smile. She asked the judge to sentence Paden to the same amount of prison time Ranahan received.

Trading on compassion

During her statements made in court, Paden apologized to Gulick’s family and to “everyone affected by this tragedy.”

“I’m so sorry that I failed Clint. ... Clint was my best friend, really he was my only friend. He was my lover and my companion and my safe place,” Paden said.

Paden said she had a five-year span where she was focused on bettering her life and providing for her children, but that she became trapped in an abusive and toxic marriage and relapsed with her drug addiction. She met Gulick shortly after and the pair became close quickly.

She said her ignorance, fear and being high ultimately led to Gulick’s death. She said there was no part of her that wished him harm.

“I do believe that the woman I was then fought as hard as I could given my mental state of mind. The woman I am today would have fought to my death preventing the murder from happening to my best friend. I’m not trying to make any excuses at all for my behaviors and choices. I just want so badly to be understood,” Paden said.

As part of her sentence, Paden will be required to undergo a substance abuse evaluation and comply with any treatment. She will also be responsible for $4,749.76 in restitution, along with Ranahan.

Paden is also required to register as a felony firearm offender, but Follis, her defense attorney, filed a motion late last week asking the court to reconsider that requirement. A hearing has been set for April 12, court records show.