She Doesn’t Know Yet — But She Will: Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren Will Answer for This

She doesn’t know it yet.

She doesn’t know that her name, Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren,  is about to be tied to a betrayal that will shake the foundation of Spokane’s court system.

She doesn’t know that by signing off on the release of Robert Kluss, a confessed thief who stole a sacred piece of music history from my family, she became complicit in the very injustice her robes were meant to resist.

But she will.

The Guitar Wasn't Just Property, It Was a Legacy

Robert Kluss stole a 1952 Fender Telecaster that belonged to my late husband, Paul Layton, a respected and deeply loved Spokane musician. That guitar wasn’t just wood and wire. It carried his fingerprints, his passion, his soul.

Kluss didn’t inherit it. He didn’t receive permission. He took it, sold it for $11,000 — even though it was worth upwards of $100,000 ,and kept the money.

He confessed. He sat in jail. The charges were valid.

I gave a full victim statement. I submitted an emotional and documented impact letter. I cooperated fully with Detective Doug Strosahl and Victim Advocate Joan Durham.

Everything was ready to move forward.

And Then They Asked Me to Meet the Defense — Alone

The public defender requested a meeting — just me and them. Not in court. Not with oversight. They wanted me, the victim, to explain myself to those defending the man who stole from me.

I said no. I am not required to relive my trauma in a closed room with people trying to undermine the truth.

And that, apparently, was all it took.

Prosecutor Patrick Shaff dismissed the case. And Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren signed off on it.

No trial. No hearing. No justice.

She Doesn’t Know I’m a Force They Never Expected

They thought they could shut me down quietly. They thought they could silence a widow in mourning. They thought I wouldn’t fight back.

They were wrong.

Because I am not afraid of the black cube courtrooms. I am not fooled by the robes and the rituals. I serve something far greater than their Saturnian systems of silence — I serve Truth.

And the truth is coming out.

Judge Bjelkengren may not know it yet, but her name will be remembered, not for impartiality, not for justice,  but for allowing a confessed thief to walk free while punishing the victim for saying no.

Let This Be the Turning Point

I am not backing down. I am taking this public. I am calling every media outlet. I am collecting every voice that has been hurt by Robert Kluss, by the court, by the prosecutors who act more like defenders.

We are not violence. We are truth.

Let this be the blog that starts the fire.

Let this be the line Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren cannot pretend she didn’t cross.

She doesn’t know yet,  but she will.

#JusticeForPaul

#SheWillKnow

#CharnelleBjelkengren

#PatrickShaffRetaliation

#LetTheWidowSpeak

#ExposeTheSystem

#SpokaneCourtCorruption

#MidnightCypher

#WeAreTruth