Washington Man Who Killed Two Rapists Gets Life Sentence
Patrick Drum offers little apology following sentencing for killing two rapists.
Sept. 19, 2012— -- A Washington man who gunned down two convicted sex offenders offered little in the way of apology even as he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Patrick Drum, 34, hailed by some as a vigilante hero and others as a cold-blooded killer, called the grief the victim's families felt "collateral damage that I feel bad about."
"As far as the men themselves," he said at his sentencing Tuesday referring to the two men he admits to killing in June, "actions speak louder than words."
Drum shot Gary Lee Blanton, 28, on June 2 at the home both men shared near Sequim, Wash. The following morning, Dunn shot and killed Jerry Wayne Ray, 57.
Both men were known to Drum and were registered as Level 2 sex offenders, meaning the state believed they presented a moderate risk of recidivism.
Blanton was convicted of third degree rape while he was a juvenile. In court, during Drum's sentencing, Blanton's wife Leslie Blanton said her husband was convicted of statutory rape after having consensual sex with a high school freshman when he was a senior, according to ABC News affiliate KOMO.Ray, the second victim, was convicted of child rape.
After shooting Ray, police were tipped off to Drum's whereabouts when witnesses reported a suspicious person. Cops found Drum's abandoned rental car with a note that included an apology and full confession.
After his arrest, Drum again confessed to police and said he would have continued killing people were he not picked up.
In court Tuesday, Leslie Blanton said her young children found their father after Drum shot him. She also said Drum's supporters harassed her outside her home.
"It was never my intent to hurt the families involved. That's like collateral damage that I feel bad about," Drum told the court.
"If anybody is bothering folks, the families of my victims, I would ask that they not do that. As for the men themselves, actions speak louder than words," he said.
ABC News affiliate KOMO-TV contributed to this report.