Monique DeSpain: Call Kotek to stop rapist release

Congressional Candidate Monique DeSpain Calls on Oregonians to Demand Governor Kotek Stop the Release of Convicted Child Rapist and Murderer Dustin Wallace
Parole Hearing Scheduled Wednesday, June 3 – DeSpain Urges Public to Flood the Governor’s Office Before It’s Too Late
By Monique DeSpain for Congress,

ROSEBURG, Oregon (June 1, 2026) – Monique DeSpain, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, JAG, licensed Oregon attorney, and Republican candidate for Congress in Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, is calling on the public to contact Governor Tina Kotek’s office and the Oregon Board of Parole immediately to oppose the potential release of Dustin Wallace — a man convicted of raping and murdering a five-year-old girl — ahead of a parole hearing scheduled for Wednesday, June 3, 2026.

“The people of Oregon need to know what is about to happen and they need to make their voices heard before Wednesday,” said DeSpain. “A man who raped and murdered a kindergartner in her own bedroom – a man a judge sentenced to life without parole after saying he showed zero remorse – could be put back on the streets of Roseburg, Oregon. I am asking every Oregonian who believes a life sentence should mean a life sentence to pick up the phone and call the Governor’s office right now.”

WHAT HAPPENED

In July 2010, Dustin Wallace – then sixteen years old – entered the bedroom of five-year-old Sahara Dwight in Roseburg, Oregon while she slept. He raped her. When the child fought back, he suffocated and beat her until she died. His DNA was recovered from under her fingernails and on her body.

A Douglas County judge found Wallace guilty on all nine counts: six counts of aggravated murder, first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse, and first-degree unlawful sexual penetration. Judge Randy Garrison sentenced Wallace to life in prison without the possibility of parole, stating on the record that Wallace showed zero remorse and had fabricated elaborate lies to police throughout the investigation.

Now, under a process created by Senate Bill 1008 and the clemency actions of former Governor Kate Brown, Wallace is scheduled for a release hearing on Wednesday, June 3rd, at the Oregon State Penitentiary.

Sahara’s father, Tyler Dwight, appeared on Fox News on Saturday to share his family’s fight to keep his daughter’s killer behind bars. His full interview can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/q-gEND6lB9o?si=DMdJQemqhJ0oGPAd

DeSpain’s INVOLVEMENT IN THE LEGAL FIGHT

DeSpain has been fighting the soft-on-crime policies that led to this hearing long before she entered the congressional race. As an attorney for Common Sense for Oregon, she filed the public records requests with the Governor’s office and the Oregon Department of Corrections that uncovered systematic violations of the state’s clemency statutes. Those requests revealed that former Governor Brown had released nearly 1,000 convicted felons without requiring clemency applications, without notifying district attorneys, and without consulting victims as required by Oregon law.

DeSpain served as co-counsel on the Petition for Alternative Writ of Mandamus (Case No. 22CV02609) filed in Marion County Circuit Court on January 18, 2022, on behalf of two Oregon District Attorneys and four crime victims directly affected by Governor Brown’s unlawful clemency actions. The court issued the writ and ordered the Governor and state agencies to comply with the law.

Last week, DeSpain sent a formal letter to Governor Kotek strongly urging her to publicly oppose Wallace’s release and exercise every power available to her office to ensure the life sentence stands. The full letter is available here: Read Monique DeSpain’s Letter to Governor Kotek

HOW TO TAKE ACTION BEFORE WEDNESDAY

DeSpain is urging Oregonians and concerned citizens nationwide to contact the Governor’s office and the Oregon Board of Parole before Wednesday’s hearing and deliver a simple message: Dustin Wallace was sentenced to life without parole for raping and murdering a five-year-old girl. That sentence must stand. Do not release this man.

Governor’s Office Phone: 503-378-4582

Governor Tina Kotek: [email protected]

Danny Moran, Interim Legislative Director: [email protected]

Oregon Board of Parole: [email protected]

Oregon Board of Parole: [email protected]

“I fought this legislation as an attorney, and I am now running for Congress to stop these soft-on-crime policies so people like Dustin Wallace never get released and never have another opportunity to commit such gruesome, evil crimes,” DeSpain said. “Sahara Dwight did not get a second chance. Her killer should not get one either. I’m asking the people of Oregon to stand with Sahara and Tyler Dwight and make sure the Governor and the Parole Board hear from them before Wednesday.”

BACKGROUND

About Monique DeSpain: Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel with 30 years of military service and 20 years as a JAG Corps attorney. Former attorney for Common Sense for Oregon. Co-counsel on the 2022 mandamus petition against Governor Brown. Republican candidate for Congress, Oregon’s 4th Congressional District. moniqueforcongress.com

Court Filings and Case Documentation: commonsensefororegon.org/accomplishments/early-release-of-felons/

Fox News Interview — DeSpain and Kevin Mannix on the Lawsuit (2022): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s3YQ91DsNM