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…