Deadly Decisions: Basden Rulings Preceded Kidnapping, Murder, and Child’s Death

A pattern of judicial decisions denying protection to vulnerable individuals has emerged in Clallam County, linking then-Commissioner Brent Basden to two separate tragedies within a two-year span.

In both 2014 and 2015, pleas for safety measures were rejected or overruled by Basden shortly before the subjects of those hearings were murdered or kidnapped.

As the community reflects on these losses, the court records paint a grim picture of a judicial system that failed to intervene when it mattered most.

Pleaded for Supervised Visitation

In 2014, a domestic violence case presided over by Basden ended in the murder of a Port Angeles man and the kidnapping of a young woman. Becky Kardonsky, a survivor of the attack, publicly stated that she begged the court for protection prior to the violence.

According to Kardonsky, she “pleaded for [the father] to have supervised visitation” because she was terrified of him. She states that Basden refused this request. “In the end, his dad killed my boyfriend and held me at gunpoint because the court did not do what they were supposed to do,” Kardonsky wrote.

Gary Borneman, the perpetrator in this case was later sentenced by another judge to over 34 years in prison for premeditated murder and kidnapping.

Kardonsky remains critical of the court’s role, asserting that Basden has left her and her son to live in fear.

The Death of Gary Blanton III

The following year, Commissioner Basden was at the center of a custody decision involving a toddler named Gary Blanton III and his sister, Destiny.

In 2014, Gary and his half-sister Skylar were placed in the care of their aunt, Cynthia Khaleel. However, concerns regarding the safety of the children began to mount. By December 2014, Gary’s school had alerted DSHS to possible abuse, and caseworkers raised further concerns in early February 2015.

Despite these alarms, Basden proceeded with a hearing regarding the placement of Gary’s younger sister, Destiny.

For reasons only known to Basden, he transferred Destiny to Cynthia Khaleel. His February 5, 2015 order came only two days after DSHS caseworkers had raised concerns about Khaleel, and less than two weeks before a caseworker would describe the Khaleel home as “chaotic.”

Two months after Basden’s order, on April 18, 2015, Gary Blanton III died while in Khaleel’s custody.

No Accountability

In the wake of these events, Basden defended his position by highlighting the limitations of judicial knowledge. He noted that he “has no way of knowing what he’s not told” inside the courtroom.

Basden refused to take accountability. “The court doesn’t get off the bench, get in the car and drive over to the home,” Basden said.

However, this defense rings hollow for the survivors and families affected. In the 2014 case, the court was told. Kardonsky explicitly pleaded for supervised visitation due to fear. In the 2015 case, DSHS had already flagged concerns days before his ruling.

In another case, Basden shifted the blame to police. Stating that law enforcement deepens the problem when interviewing child victims of crimes.

Some in the community have suggested that Basden’s dislike for law enforcement began in the early 2000s, after the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team executed a search warrant on Lane Wolfley’s office, who was Basden’s business partner.

Shortly after the raid, Wolfley faced a severe disciplinary reckoning from the Washington State Bar Association in 2005. The Bar suspended Wolfley from the practice of law for three years following a “formal complaint” and a finding of “sufficient evidence of unethical behavior.”

The Bar Association Disciplinary Board found that Wolfley had “knowingly and intentionally made sexual advances” toward a client during a personal injury case. The Board’s findings were explicit: Wolfley “kissed...fondled her, touched her breasts, touched her buttocks, and/or put hands inside her clothing.”

When confronted, Wolfley “knowingly and intentionally provided false information” to the Bar Association, testifying falsely that the events never happened.

Yet for survivors, Basden’s inability—or unwillingness—to act on these clear warning signs has had irreversible consequences. The judicial system is designed to be the final line of defense for the vulnerable, yet in these two instances, that line broke.

As Kardonsky summarized regarding the 2014 case, the tragedy “all could’ve been prevented if the judge does his job.”

It is a sentiment that echoes loudly across Clallam County, leaving residents to wonder if Basden has learned from his past rulings.