Man pleads guilty to murdering Federal Way officer

On the day his trial was scheduled to begin, a Des Moines man pleaded guilty yesterday to first-degree murder for the August 2003 slaying of Federal Way police officer Patrick Maher.

Standing with his head bowed and hands behind his back, Jason Roberts, 30, tearfully entered the plea in King County Superior Court, accepting a plea bargain that will spare him from a possible life sentence.

For Maher's family members, it was a satisfactory conclusion to a two-year-ordeal that began Aug. 2, 2003, when Roberts shot Maher, who was trying to break up a fight between Roberts and his brother.

The plea agreement ensured that Roberts — who prosecutors say has a history of illegal drug use and domestic violence, including an assault on his father — will get at least 25 years, the minimum under the sentencing guidelines.

Had Roberts been convicted of aggravated first-degree murder — the charge he initially faced — he could have been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Roberts is likely to receive more than the minimum 25 years when Superior Court Judge Michael Fox sentences him Dec. 9. King County prosecutors are recommending a total 31 years and six months.

Families of both the slain officer and Roberts wept as he stood before the bench, responding in a polite "yes, ma'am" to each of Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Erin Ehlert's questions on whether he was making the plea of his own free will. About a dozen Federal Way police officers sat solemnly in the courtroom.

Although Maher's family initially opposed anything short of the death penalty for Roberts, Renee Maher, the slain officer's widow, praised prosecutors and said the plea to the lesser charge was a blessing that "honors Patrick's sacrifice."

Defense attorney Kevin Dolan said that Roberts entered the plea to spare the Maher family the ordeal of the trial.

"He has always expressed regret that this happened," Dolan said.

While there were numerous witnesses to the shooting, what was in dispute was whether the shooting was premeditated or an impulsive act, a condition of second-degree murder. Typically, jurors can decide among several murder charges, with a range of penalties, depending on what best fits the evidence. Second-degree murder carries a lighter sentence than first-degree murder.

According to charging documents, Maher, 46, was called to a Federal Way convenience store at South 272nd Street and Pacific Highway South where Roberts and one of his brothers were fighting. Maher broke up the fight and told Roberts to sit on the sidewalk outside the store.

Roberts bolted while Maher was on the police radio. Maher and Roberts' brother, Joseph Roberts, chased him, finally catching him as he tried to climb a fence.

As the officer was trying to handcuff him, Jason Roberts grabbed Maher's gun and shot him in the abdomen, below his body armor. He died later at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Joseph Roberts was eventually able to get the gun away from this brother, who was arrested by Federal Way police.

Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com