A Thurston County jury returned a verdict Wednesday, May 20, finding Curtis and Tabitha Gibson not guilty of first-degree murder while armed with a firearm.
The couple had been accused of murdering Gaylord “Travis” Sayers at the Old Highway 99 Company Bar and Grill near Tenino on April 16, 2024.
Curtis and Tabitha Gibson, ages 70 and 49, respectively, were still in custody at the Thurston County Jail as of 4:25 p.m. on Wednesday.
Because they were acquitted on all charges, they will be released.
The jury’s verdict marks the end of a month-long trial that began on Monday, April 20.
The two Gibsons each faced one count of first-degree murder while armed with a firearm for allegedly acting out a plan to murder Sayers.
The prosecution alleged that the couple’s decision to return to the Old Highway 99 after leaving the initial altercation with Sayers and having more drinks at a different bar constitutes premeditation.
The defense did not dispute that Curtis Gibson fired the gunshots that killed Sayers, but rather that he, and Tabitha by association, acted in self defense when attacked by Sayers and members of the biker group he was associated with, UMF of America Northwest Chapter.
“By the time he puts his car in park and the time he pulls the trigger, almost a minute of time passes by,” Defense Attorney Patrick O’Connor said during opening statements on April 20. “Almost a minute is when he makes that decision to shoot. That’s why this is self defense.”
The couple had reportedly arrived in a red 2021 Kia Rio at the Old Highway 99 Company Bar and Grill at approximately 5:44 p.m. on April 16, following a verbal altercation with Sayers at the same venue roughly two to three hours prior.
Sayers, a UMF initiate, and other UMF members were still at the Old Highway 99 when the Gibsons returned.
Curtis Gibson was in the driver’s seat and Tabitha Gibson was in the passenger seat when the Kia pulled in at a high rate of speed, stopping suddenly in front of UMF members’ parked motorcycles.
Sayers and at least one other UMF member reportedly approached the driver’s side of the Kia to confront Curtis Gibson.
An altercation ensued, with UMF members reportedly punching Curtis Gibson in the face and smashing his phone before Tabitha Gibson exited the vehicle and was possibly grabbed by her ex-husband, another UMF member.
During the altercation, Curtis Gibson fired his revolver out the window three times, striking Sayers.
Sayers died at the scene.
Investigators later determined that Sayers had sustained two gunshot wounds, one on his right side and one on the center of his chest. Fragments from a third bullet were found stuck in keys that were in Sayers pocket.
The altercation continued after Sayers went down, with bar patrons restraining both Curtis and Tabitha Gibson and slashing the Kia’s tires so the suspects couldn’t flee.
Multiple witnesses called 911 at 5:44 p.m. to report the shooting and inform police that they had disarmed the suspect and were holding him down on the ground.
They reported that the gun had gone off once while they were disarming Curtis Gibson, but that the bullet didn’t strike anyone.
Investigators later found four bullet casings at the scene, and one live round in Curtis Gibson’s revolver.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Tenino Police Department and Tenino Fire Department, responded to the 911 calls at 5:45 p.m.
Curtis Gibson had blood all over his face, and an obvious laceration and injury to his eye when officers arrived at the scene.
Responding officers also noted that Tabitha Gibson showed signs of severe intoxication.
Both Curtis and Tabitha Gibson were arrested at the scene, though initially, only Curtis Gibson was charged with first-degree murder.
Tabitha Gibson was released after her initial arrest, but was re-arrested May 6 and charged as her husband’s co-defendant on May 8.
