SPOKANE, WA — The Washington State Clemency and Pardons Board has voted to recommend commutation for a Spokane man convicted in a 1996 murder during a home robbery, sending the final decision to the governor.
In a 3–1 vote on March 12, the board recommended reducing the sentence of Travis R. Comeslast, 50, who has served nearly 30 years in prison for the killing of Christopher Gongyin. One board member changed their position from an earlier hearing, allowing the recommendation to move forward.
According to court records and testimony cited by the Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the crime occurred in June 1996 when Comeslast and another man went to Gongyin’s home while he was sleeping in a bedroom with his wife and infant child. Prosecutors said Comeslast woke Gongyin during a confrontation and shot him in the head at close range. The gunshot reportedly burned the infant’s leg.
Authorities said Comeslast then forced Gongyin’s wife out of bed with the child and demanded money and drugs.
A jury convicted Comeslast in September 1997 of first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. He was originally sentenced to 613 months in prison, or about 51 years. Following an appeal, the sentence was later reduced to 553 months, or about 46 years.
Comeslast was 20 years old at the time of the crime and has now served roughly two-thirds of his sentence.
The clemency board previously denied a petition from Comeslast, but reconsidered the request during a commutation hearing in December 2025. During that hearing, Comeslast and supporters testified that he had taken part in educational programs and served in leadership and mentorship roles while incarcerated.
Family members of the victim and Spokane County Prosecutor Preston McCollam urged the board to deny the request.
Barbara Gongyin, the victim’s widow, told the board the repeated clemency proceedings force the family to revisit the trauma of the crime and the court process.
“It is unfair, painful, and disappointing that it has become my responsibility to plead that a just sentence be maintained,” she said during testimony referenced in the prosecutor’s office release.
McCollam also argued the original sentence should remain in place, stating the crime’s severity and the impact on victims should weigh against early release.
“Crime victims in our community are entitled to truth in sentencing,” McCollam said in testimony to the board.
One board member supporting the commutation said the remaining years of Comeslast’s sentence now primarily serve as retribution rather than advancing justice.
The Clemency and Pardons Board’s recommendation does not automatically change the sentence. The final decision on whether to commute Comeslast’s sentence now rests with the governor.
