Superior Court Judge Mark McCauley made it clear that Jeffrey L. Butterfield, found guilty by a jury in December of the decade-long rape and abuse of his twin daughters, would never walk a free man again at a Friday morning sentencing hearing.
Maintaining his innocence throughout the investigation and trial, Butterfield claimed the girls, who the jury found he had been raping since they were about 6 years old, had made the whole thing up. McCauley felt otherwise.
“I sat through this trial. I believe the girls. The jury certainly had no problem believing the girls,” he said. “I’ve never heard a description of such abuse and torture. This is the worst case I’ve ever sat through, and I’m glad I don’t have to listen to any more of your excuses. I’m going to adopt the recommendation of the state.”
County Prosecutor Katie Svoboda had asked Judge McCauley for an exceptional sentence — above the standard range — for the eight offenses on which Butterfield had been found guilty, including first-degree rape of a child and incest. McCauley did that, giving Butterfield 1,520 months in prison, a little more than 126 years.
“This case is the poster child for why it’s so difficult for victims and courts to try these types of cases,” said Svoboda. “All this horrific abuse, and yet for years these two weren’t ready to stop protecting their father. When they finally got away from him and had some wonderful people adopt them, it gave them the courage to come forward.”
She said the length of Butterfield’s sentence should be exceptional because of the 10 years of abuse he put his daughters through. Offender scores, used by the courts to determine sentencing, was off the charts.
“He comes to court with a score of 22,” said Svoboda; an offender score of nine is usually the maximum.
“It’s difficult to put a number on this. Nothing is going to bring their father or their lives back,” said Svoboda. “Over the last 10 years, this case is the worst of the worst. He should never be released into the community to hurt another child.”
The twins read their victim-impact statements, standing mere feet from their abuser. Both wanted Butterfield to finally admit to the atrocities he had committed and stop denying what he had done to them.
“All that’s left for you is to admit the truth,” said Alicia, who bore the brunt of her father’s sexual abuse. “If you are unwilling to be honest with yourself … If you admit what you’ve done you can get it off your chest. But even if you refuse to admit it, we know the truth, and now everybody in the community knows the truth. You should feel lucky Amber and I came forward, now you can get the help that you need.”
Amber’s statement began, “Dear Monster.”
“You say God forgave you. You kept us in the dark and away from mom. You made us believe we were dumb and stupid. The least you could have done was admit what you have done.”
The gallery, which included investigators, the twins’ adoptive mother Linda Pavletich, and Beyond Survival Grays Harbor Executive Director Maddie Graves-Wilson, burst into applause when the girls were finished with their statements.
Butterfield’s attorney, David Mistachkin, claimed that Butterfield’s health, specifically a serious heart condition, makes any sentence a life sentence.
“Mr. Butterfield has always denied (the charges),” said Mistachkin. “And he’s denying it now.”
Butterfield made a statement, a loudly and animated claim for his innocence. He said his two sons, when in his care, prospered, but “after they come and done this one son is in jail and the other is back on drugs, probably find him dead in a ditch some day.”
As coping mechanisms, the girls would perform parts of the movies they had seen together, particularly the “Wizard of Oz.”
Butterfield claimed, “The girls are always making movies. This is another one of their movies and that’s the truth. They came up here and told a lie and everyone clapped for them. God knows the truth, and he has already judged me.”
At the conclusion of the sentencing, Mistachkin immediately filed an appeal of Butterfield’s conviction.
DAN HAMMOCK | THE DAILY WORLD Jeffrey L. Butterfield Sr. is flanked by Grays Harbor County Prosecutor Katie Svoboda and his attorney David Mistachkin during his sentencing Friday morning. Superior Court Judge Mark McCauley handed down an exceptional sentence for Butterfield’s decade of abusing and raping his twin daughters, Amber and Alicia.
