The long-awaited sentencing of Joshua D. Davis in the killing of Pasco school bus driver Richard "Dick" Lenhart ended in a pause, not a final judgment. On Friday, Franklin County Superior Court Judge Jackie Shea-Brown told a packed courtroom she would delay her decision until the end of July, saying she needed more time to sift through hundreds of pages of filings and exhibits before deciding how long Davis will spend in prison.
Family, friends and community members filled the gallery, many of them stepping to the podium to deliver emotional victim-impact statements. According to the Tri-City Herald, Lenhart’s widow, Nancy Lenhart, told the court, "We never dreamed that our journey through the justice system would be a trial of patience, strength and endurance." The Herald reports that Davis, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, boarded Lenhart’s bus outside Longfellow Elementary in September 2021 and stabbed him 13 times. A jury convicted Davis in November 2025 of premeditated first-degree murder with a deadly weapon. Family members repeatedly broke down as they described not only their loss, but the trauma that rippled through students, school staff and neighbors.
Local broadcasters who covered both the attack and the trial have noted that about 35 children were on the bus at the time of the stabbing and that none were physically injured. As FOX41 Yakima reported, jurors ultimately found Davis guilty, and he remained in custody after the verdict. The conviction capped weeks of testimony focused heavily on his mental health and on the contents of hours of video evidence.
At Friday’s hearing, prosecutors asked Shea-Brown to hand down an exceptional 50-year sentence, arguing that the brutality of the attack and its impact on the community justified a punishment above the usual range. Defense attorney Sheri Oertel countered with a request for 25 years, urging the court to weigh Davis’ schizophrenia diagnosis and ongoing treatment needs. The defense also asked that Davis be housed at Monroe Correctional Complex, which includes a specialized unit for people with serious mental health needs. Shea-Brown did not signal which way she was leaning and instead set a late-July hearing to announce her decision.
Lenhart Act Changed State Law
The killing quickly shifted from a local tragedy to a catalyst for statewide change. Lawmakers responded with the Richard Lenhart Act, which explicitly makes school-bus trespass a criminal offense. The bill text, ESSB 5891, creates a new gross-misdemeanor crime of "school bus trespass" and directs school districts to post warnings about the penalties for stepping onto a bus without authorization.
What The Law Allows Judges To Do
The looming question now is how far beyond the standard range Shea-Brown is willing, or allowed, to go. Reports place that range at about 22 to 28 years. Under Washington law, a judge may only impose a sentence outside the standard range if there are "substantial and compelling reasons" to do so. Those reasons have to be spelled out in written findings, under RCW 9.94A.535. Any exceptional sentence would then face limited appellate review, meaning higher courts would look closely at whether the reasons the judge relied on truly justify going above the typical range.
