Family pleas with Governor Brown to deny clemency request

By Drew Marine

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    YAMHILL COUNTY, Oregon (KPTV) — A local family is grieving once again now that a woman connected to their father’s murder is asking for clemency from Governor Kate Brown.

On Dec. 23, 2005, 54-year-old Dale Rost was expected to be with his family. When he didn’t show up, his then 19-year-old daughter, Sarah Olson, went to check on him. What she found was something out of a nightmare.

“I saw the screen door sitting on the doorsteps like it had fallen off, which I thought was kind of odd,” Olson said. “I just kind of moved it to the side and went up the stairs. I knocked on the door and nobody answered. That’s when I looked into the window and I saw my dad lying there on the floor, naked, tied up and shot in the head and lying in a pool of his own blood.”

The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office said Rost’s car was stolen too and just hours after responding to Rost’s house, police found the car.

They said inside was 20-year-old Gerard Smith and 26-year-old Lynley Rayburn, who were arrested and are now serving life sentences in connection to his murder.

Two of Rost’s other children, Daniel Rost and Kendra Pettit, said they can hardly remember that day because of the trauma it’s caused them.

“I was standing in Rite Aid looking for stocking stuffers,” Pettit said. “Then my mom called, and she told me, and I honestly don’t remember anything else after that. I was in complete shock.”

All three said their dad was warm and supportive. They’re heartbroken they can’t talk to him through their life’s milestones.

“There wasn’t a bad bone in his body. He would do anything for anybody, he didn’t know a stranger and I mean, he definitely loved his kids,” Olson said.

“My partner and I, we are foster parents. We’re trying to adopt our foster child and he doesn’t have a grandpa. And I don’t have anybody I can reach out to for fatherly advice, I don’t have that anymore,” Rost said.

Last April, Rayburn asked Gov. Brown for clemency. In her clemency application, Rost’s kids said Rayburn claims she was never in the house that day.

Rost’s kids hope the governor denies Rayburn’s request. Especially because they said she hasn’t even served half of her sentence.

“We live with this every single day,” Pettit said. “Like my brother said, I can’t even believe this hasn’t been denied. This isn’t a situation where it’s a robbery or a stolen car. It’s a robbery, a stolen car and she took someone’s life.”

They’ve created a petition for people to sign, asking Brown not to grant the clemency.

FOX 12 reached out to Governor Brown’s office about this application. Her office said she has not made a decision yet and sent this statement:

“Governor Brown believes that granting clemency is an extraordinary act that should be reserved for individuals who have made incredible changes and who are dedicated to making their communities better. She evaluates clemency applications on a case-by-case basis and considers a variety of factors about the applicant’s history and case when making those decisions.

The Governor deeply values input from any victims involved in the case at issue, and takes every effort to obtain that input in the most victim-centered and trauma-informed way possible. To that end, in seriously considering any clemency application, the Governor’s Office will reach out to the respective District Attorney’s office to obtain their input and any input from victims––well before making any decision to release someone from custody. Our office relies on the DA’s offices to accurately represent information to victims; it is unfortunate that misinformation appears to have been communicated in this case.”

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