On June 2, 2012, Patrick Drum murdered Gary Blanton, Leslie’s husband and the father of her two sons, and Jerry Ray, a husband, son and father. They were both killed from multiple gunshot wounds. Mr. Drum used a 9 mm weapon, and reloaded several times before actually killing his victims. The coroner determined that Gary did not die until after the fifteenth bullet was fired into his body.

Patrick Drum confessed to seeking out and killing both men because they were Level 2 sex offenders, whose personal information he found on the registry. After seeking them out, he befriended both men and their families. Years passed before the murders took place. The police have indicated that Mr. Drum had a list of sex offenders whose names he obtained from the registry, and that he proudly admitted his plan was to continue killing them until he was caught. He was on his way to kill a third man when he was apprehended by police. Thus far none of the other intended victims’ names have been released.

In addition to killing the husband and father, Gary’s dog Tone succumbed to injuries sustained while trying to save his master from being shot. Leslie was forced to accept substantial donations to have a service for Gary. She has been receiving threatening phone calls, night-time trespassers, and even people approaching her in public threatening her children. The police have been notified, and repeatedly choose to do nothing.

Jerry Ray, Mr. Drum’s other victim, was his father’s caretaker. Paul Ray is a frail, elderly man with no remaining family. Mr. Ray’s wife is institutionalized. Without Jerry, Paul cannot perform basic functions such as bathing and going to the bathroom. Mentally, however, Paul is very aware. He is so terrified of being victimized, that he will not speak publicly or accept assistance from anyone.

Just yesterday, June 30, Mr. Drum stabbed a fellow inmate who was serving time on a “failure to register as a sex offender” charge. The inmate who was stabbed is 19 years old. He has been a registered sex offender since the age of 13.

We, a nationwide collective of families of registered sex offenders, are contacting the ACLU because we feel there is no other way that Leslie, Paul or their murdered loved ones will receive justice. Because both men were sex offenders, there has been very little coverage of the proceedings, and none of the gruesome details have been publicized. Furthermore, the public is disturbingly supportive of Mr. Drum, as they see Gary and Jerry as sub-human sex offenders. Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Deb Kelly is apprehensive of a jury trial because of the local and national hatred of sex offenders. She does not feel they can adequately portray the men as the husbands, fathers and sons deserving of any sympathy because of this.

We also believe that the Mr. Drum’s utilization of the public registry to commit a double-homicide creates an undeniable argument against the dissemination of registered sex offenders’ personal information. Both Jerry and Gary’s family members, including children, were in direct danger of being killed. This tragedy makes it painfully clear that ALL family members and children of sex offenders across the country are in similar danger. We feel that the ACLU embodies the hope, civil rights and equal protection that families of sex offenders desperately need, but cannot rouse enough public sympathy to achieve.