Convicted pimp sentenced to 340 years in prison

PORT ORCHARD — Kitsap Superior Court Judge Jeanette Dalton sentenced Jeremy Blaine Fenney to over 340 years in prison Monday after a jury convicted him last month of 44 separate charges, most involving the torture and abuse of a woman who worked as a prostitute for him.

Before a capacity courtroom Monday, Fenney apologized to his family and the woman he was convicted of torturing, saying he had come to know God during his months in the Kitsap County Jail. He quoted several passages from the Bible and directly addressed his victim.

"I'm sorry for everything you and me went through, and I'm sorry that at the end of the day you believe that I never really loved you," Fenney said. "I pray that God can one day really put forgiveness in your heart."

A jury convicted Fenney last month of all but one of the 45 charges he faced, including first-degree human trafficking, rape, assault and kidnapping. Jurors did not convict Fenney of one count of first-degree attempted murder.

Fenney was also convicted of raping a different woman who lived with him in Silverdale at the time. Certain "aggravators" and special enhancements for committing the crimes with a firearm accounted for the lengthy sentence.

Prosecutors had asked for just over 340 years, and Dalton complied with their recommendation.

During the trial, the woman testified that Fenney attacked and cut her with a machete, burned her with a blow torch and hot meth pipe, fired a gun near her head and forced her to stand naked until he told her she could sit down.

"The violence that was inflicted on the victims of this case is really unimaginable," Deputy Prosecutor Coreen Schnepf said.

In a statement that she read, the woman asked Fenney to step into her shoes, recounting many of the abuses she went through in detail. The tortures left her with numerous scars on her body and severe mental and emotional trauma.

"Still to this day I apologize when dropping something," she said.

The woman called Fenney "the most evil and twisted person I have ever met," and told him that he had taken away her voice and purpose in life.

"Today, I get that all back," she said.

She also described the aftermath of the abuse; how she is now afraid to go anywhere in public alone or shut a car door too loudly. Despite the abuse, the woman forgave Fenney.

"Even though I know you won't admit your wrongs, I want to be able to look you in the eyes and tell you, Jeremy, I forgive you," she said.

A friend of the woman Fenney was convicted of raping in Silverdale read a letter from her before the court. In it, the woman described feeling guilty that she couldn't protect the first victim from Fenney.

"I planned my day around whether she was being beaten, or tortured or humiliated and to what degree. Not only did I feel guilty about not being able to protect her, I knew that my safety was in constant jeopardy," the letter read.

Fenney's attorney, Craig Kibbe, asked Dalton to sentence Fenney to the minimum amount of time, around 200 years. The mandatory sentence for just the firearm enhancements would have been over 100 years.

"Mr. Finney, throughout the course of this case, was willing to take responsibility for this actions," Kibbe said. "We attempted to resolve the case but basically the state wanted what in effect is a life sentence."

Several people testified in Fenney's defense, including his mother, Lisa Dean, and an aunt. Dean said that her son was a victim of a corrupt criminal justice system and that he did not have a fair trial or effective counsel.

"Jeremy was locked away and tried as an adult at 16, there's been no rehabilitation involved, just an instant label that he has had to live with and carry around as judgment for the rest of his life," Dean said. "So this life sentence really is nothing, he's already lived in hell."

Before handing down the sentence, Dalton told Fenney he was fortunate to live in a country with due process. Fenney interrupted her, asking the judge to skip to the sentencing.

"The reality is, you can give me 1,000 years right now, that's not going to change nothing," Fenney said.

"You're correct," Dalton said.

"Alright, so let's get on with it," Fenney said.