On a tragic September morning in 1981, the community of Olympia, Washington, was shaken by a brutal act of violence that claimed the life of 33-year-old Candace Hemmig, a female bank teller. On September 17, Hemmig was at her post at the Tumwater State Bank when a man named Mitchell Rupe entered with the intent to rob the establishment. The robbery quickly escalated to a double homicide as Rupe fatally shot both Hemmig and her fellow teller, Twila Capron, at point-blank range before making off
with approximately $4,000.
The investigation swiftly pointed toward Rupe as the primary suspect. In a critical oversight, he left behind his blood-stained checkbook at the crime scene. Further evidence was discovered in his car, where authorities found ammunition matching that used in the murders. Although he initially confessed to the heinous crime during police questioning, Rupe later recanted his statement in an attempt to place the blame on a friend.
Despite his efforts to deny his involvement, Mitchell Rupe was convicted of aggravated first-degree murder for the deaths of Candace Hemmig and Twila Capron. The ensuing legal battle was long and complex, marked by multiple sentencing phases. Rupe was twice sentenced to death, but both sentences were subsequently overturned by higher courts. One of these reversals came in 1994 when a federal judge ruled that Rupe, who weighed over 400 pounds, was too heavy to be hanged, as it could result in a gruesome decapitation, which was deemed cruel and unusual punishment. In 2000, prosecutors sought the death penalty for a third time, but the jury could not reach the required unanimous decision, resulting in a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Mitchell Rupe remained incarcerated until his death from liver disease in 2006, closing a long and painful chapter for the families of his victims.
