Community Police & Fire

Suspect in Olalla homicides sentenced to more than 66 years in prison

Shaun David Rose pleaded guilty to killing two people at an Olalla home last summer and was sentenced to more than 66 years in prison.

Rose, 40, received the sentence Wednesday, March 8, in exchange for pleading guilty in an agreement with Kitsap County prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of Mina and Steven P. Shulz at an address on Shady Glen Avenue early on Aug. 18, 2022.

“The sentence imposed today means that Shaun Rose will die in prison,” said Kitsap County Prosecutor Chad Enright. “That was our goal.”

Murderer declines to speak

Shaun David Rose

Rose did not offer any apology or insight into the motive for the killings. When asked by Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Forbes if he had anything to say, Rose replied “No, thanks, your honor.”

When pleading guilty, defendants typically take the opportunity to speak, since they have surrendered their right to appeal.

Forbes called the crimes an “immense and unspeakable tragedy.”

The Shulzes owned and operated a beer brewery called E2W Brewing. They were well-known in the craft brewing community in Gig Harbor and Kitsap County.

Alicia Shulz, daughter of the victims, read an emotional letter into the record before Forbes sentenced Rose.

She said Rose took from her parents “their golden years, the fruits of their labor, and heaps of memories and more to come.” The murder of her parents means she has “no one to reminisce with about the good times, the hard times. No one to remember the things about me that I’ve long forgotten.”

‘I can’t sleep at night’

Investigators believe Rose was burglarizing the Schulzes’ home when the killings occurred. Rose lived with a girlfriend in an RV on a property not far away.

Alicia Shulz daughter discovered her parents’ remains hours after the killings. She said she is haunted by the thought of her parents’ final moments, when Steven tried to protect Mina from Rose.

“I can’t sleep at night,” Shulz told the court. “Every small noise makes my heart pound in fear that somebody will murder my fiancé and me.”

Tom Weaver, Rose’s attorney, noted that the sentence means his client is likely to die in prison.

“It’s a senseless loss all around,” Weaver said. “My client killed two people for … some Burger King Whoppers,” a reference to a fast food meal Rose bought using a credit card taken during the burglary.

Rose remained at large for several days before Tacoma police arrested him on Sunday, Aug. 21.

Rose’s criminal history includes previous convictions for felony burglary and first degree theft.

Steven and Mina Shulz of Olalla

The 66-year sentence means the 40-year-old Rose likely will spend the rest of his life in prison. But he wasn’t technically sentenced to life in prison as part of the plea deal.

Rose pleaded guilty to simple first degree murder instead of aggravated first degree murder. Conviction of the aggravated murder counts would have carried a mandatory life sentence, according to Kitsap County Prosecutor Enright.

The plea bargain also allows Rose to access additional resources while in prison, such as chemical dependency treatment. Weaver, Rose’s attorney, said fentanyl addiction contributed to the crime.

“It is a de facto life sentence,” Enright said. “Since it is no longer a mandatory life sentence, Rose will have access to drug treatment while in prison.

“More importantly, by pleading guilty, Rose has given up his right to appeal his sentence and has saved the Shulz family from the ordeal of a jury trial.”