PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — A former Seattle firefighter once again appeared in the Pierce County Courthouse, facing a new jury on child rape charges.
Andrew Sapier was arrested in March 2021 during an undercover operation under the Washington State Patrol’s Net Nanny initiative, which targets sex predators.
According to court documents, Sapier was allegedly trying to meet who he believed was a 13-year-old girl for sex.
Sapier is facing two counts of attempted rape of a child in the second degree, and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes. If convicted, the charges carry a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.
Last October, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, with eight jurors voting to acquit and four voting to convict, leading to a mistrial.
However, the state decided to retry Sapier, and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tyler Kennedy said the evidence will show Sapier is guilty.
“If you have the opportunity to review all the evidence, and see the testimony that’s put before you, and read those messages, myself and my co-counsel here will come back during closing and ask that you will find the only verdict that’s supported by the evidence in this case. And that’s to find the defendant, Mr. Sapier, guilty,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sapier’s defense team argued the state will not be able to prove that Sapier knowingly sought to have sex with a minor.
“The question is whether the state can prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that Andy attempted to have sex with someone that he truly believed was a middle schooler, a seventh grader, a 13-year-old,” countered Sapier’s attorney Mark Middaugh. “And the answer to that question is no.”
Sapier’s defense estimates the retrial to last for a little over a week.