A woman who caused a crash in Thurston County that killed one person and injured two others in 2024 was sentenced Monday to nearly 23 years in prison.
Nicole Rene Romanoff, 35, pleaded guilty Jan. 14 to one count each of second-degree murder and vehicular assault while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug.
She was arrested on Sept. 7, 2024, after she crossed into oncoming traffic and crashed into a passenger car occupied by 70-year-old Gina Munna, Munna’s sister Barbara Clark, and Barbara’s husband Bruce Clark.
The Clarks had picked up Munna from the airport and were heading home to celebrate Barbara’s birthday.
At the time of the crash, Romanoff was under the influence of drugs, driving a stolen car and fleeing from law enforcement.
“I just want to say sorry to the family,” Romanoff said when given an opportunity to speak during her sentencing hearing on Monday, April 27.
Thurston County Sheriff’s Office deputies began pursuing Romanoff on Sept. 7, 2024, after they responded to reports that she was approaching multiple people in a Lacey neighborhood and asking for fentanyl. She allegedly tried to hit a pedestrian with the car, and was driving erratically when deputies located her at about 6:40 p.m., according to court documents.
The crash occurred shortly after.
Romanoff initially faced a plethora of other charges related to the chase and the crash, including second-degree assault, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and hit-and-run, that were dropped as part of a plea deal.
“There would have been risks for the state if those charges proceeded through trial,” Deputy Prosecutor Olivia Zhou explained during Romanoff’s sentencing hearing on Monday.
While fleeing from police, Romanoff drove erratically from Lacey towards Olympia at speeds between 70 and 80 mph. An Olympia Police Department officer successfully deployed spike strips near the Chehalis Western Trail crossing and popped Romanoff’s tire, but Romanoff continued to flee, speeding up to 90 mph.
Swerving around cars that were stopped at a red light near the intersection of Pacific Avenue and Fones Road, Romanoff crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic and crashed head-on into the passenger car occupied by Munna and the Clarks.
Romanoff continued driving a short ways after the crash. The vehicle soon came to a stop, and Romanoff fled on foot.
A deputy pursued her and was able to place her in handcuffs, but was injured in the process.
Romanoff later reportedly claimed that she fled because she believed that, because of Washington state law limiting police pursuits at the time, police could not pursue her if she fled.
Defense attorney Kevin Griffin said that Romanoff is the latest in a long line of clients he’s represented who have caused harm to innocent bystanders while fleeing from police.
“It strikes me that there's something about the contact between law enforcement and our citizens that perhaps could be fixed,” Griffin said. “It's not anyone else's fault, but there's something about this that keeps happening.”
Judge Christine Schaller said that she did not find Romanoff’s justification for fleeing “credible.”
“Even if that could have possibly been your thought in the moment when you first started to speed away … you knew in short order that that wasn't true, because they continued to pursue you. You drove over the spike strip as well, and you kept going,” Schaller told Romanoff on Monday. “Those were the choices that you made and that you continued to make, and the only reason you stopped is because you crashed into this car, and really could go no further.”
Romanoff, Munna and the Clarks were all transported to Providence St. Peter’s Hospital in Olympia for medical treatment after the crash.
Munna died at the hospital.
Speaking to the court on Monday, Munna’s husband, son and nieces described Munna as a kind and joyful person, a beacon of positivity to others and a devoted wife, mother, aunt and grandmother.
She and her husband, Ronald, were just settling into retirement when Munna was killed.
“I’ve been hurting for 19 months now. It’s a sickening feeling in your stomach,” Ronald said.
Barbara and Bruce Clark lived, but sustained serious injuries that continue to impact them a year-and-a-half later, their adult children told the court Monday.
Barbara Clark had just started treatment for Alzheimer's at the time of the crash, and the physical and emotional trauma set her back severely, her children said.
“In the days following September 7, my mom was forced to remember over and over that her sister and her best friend had been murdered — each instance, feeling the pain as if it were the first time she heard the news,” one of her daughters said.
While the prosecution asked for a mid-range sentence of 245 months and the defense asked for the minimum of 195 months, the family of the victims asked Schaller to impose the maximum sentence allowed under the law. In Romanoff’s case, that would have been 295 months.
They cited Romanoff’s criminal history, which included 47 prior arrests, four felony convictions, and 25 misdemeanor convictions — as well as three active warrants out for her arrest at the time of the crash.
“It makes me sick thinking that if she had just once been held to account, that we may not be here today,” one of the Clarks’ daughters said.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders later chimed in on social media to agree.
“Continuously releasing Nicole back into society set no one up for success: not her, not her victims, and not the law enforcement officers tasked with mitigating her destructive behavior,” Sanders wrote.
Romanoff’s record is primarily made up of third-degree theft and misdemeanor shoplifting convictions, according to information provided by Griffin that was confirmed by Schaller.
The four felony convictions on her record are for second-degree identity theft. The offenses were committed in December 2013 and Romanoff was sentenced in April 2014, Schaller confirmed.
“We’ve heard, appropriately, discussion about her history or interactions with law enforcement, but that history includes never before running from police, never before assaulting law enforcement or anyone during that contact,” said Griffin.
The Sept. 7 incident was “the only time that's ever happened, and the devastation is extreme,” Griffin said.
Schaller ultimately delivered a jail sentence between the mid-range and the maximum-range allotted by law for Romanoff’s case: 275 months.
Schaller also sentenced Romanoff to 26 months for the vehicular assault case, but that will run concurrently with her 275 months of jail time for the murder charge.
Schaller said she considered a multitude of factors in deciding her sentence, including the severity of the crime, how Romanoff’s actions impacted the victims and their families, mitigating factors such as Romanoff’s substance abuse history, the fact that Romanoff did not commit murder intentionally, and that Romanoff took a plea deal rather than forcing the victims and their families to endure a trial.
“When you addressed the court, you said that you were sorry to these families. That appeared to be sincere, from my perspective,” Schaller told Romanoff after delivering her sentence. “The way you can honor that is to ensure that you get the treatment that you need … that you access anything that might be made available to you while you are serving your time.”
Romanoff’s jail sentence will be followed by 36 months of community custody.
In addition to jail time, Romanoff’s sentence requires her to obtain a substance abuse disorder evaluation and complete all recommended treatment. Her driver’s license will also be suspended with a requirement that she obtain an ignition interlock device before her license is reinstated. Romanoff will additionally be required to pay restitution to the victims in an amount to be decided at a later hearing.
Her sentence also includes a 10-year no-contact order with Bruce and Barbara Clark and a lifetime no-contact order with Munna’s immediate family.
