WA Supreme Court turns Sregzinski down

By on Friday, October 15th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

OLYMPIA – Earlier this month, the Washington State Supreme Court denied a petition to review Robert Gage Sregzinski’s appeal to being convicted and sentenced in an April 2016 murder case.

The 24-year-old from College Place was sentenced in August 2019 to more than 23 years in prison for first-degree murder and second-degree assault. He later pled guilty to murdering Gabriel Ledezma Rodriguez, 34, over a drug debt.

Shortly after being sentenced in Walla Walla County Superior Court, Sregzinski requested the Washington State Court of Appeals review the judgement and sentence. The state Court of Appeals quickly decided to uphold the guilty plea.

Sregzinski filed his petition with the state Supreme Court this past June. His case was heard on Oct. 5. Regarding Sregzinski’s most recent request to the state Supreme Court, Walla Walla County Prosecuting Attorney Jim Nagle said, “The Court of Appeals has directed that his case will be noted up for resentencing without counting his prior drug conviction in his offender score.”

According to documents filed with the Court of Appeals, Sregzinski had raised several additional arguments related to his sentence. Those claims may be raised at resentencing back in Walla Walla County Superior Court.

“A date and time have not been set yet,” Nagle said.

Sregzinski is currently serving a sentence in Oregon where he shot at Milton-Freewater police officers shortly after killing Rodriguez. Once he is released from Oregon, which would be August 2026 at the earliest, he will be sent back to Washington to serve his sentence.