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Man once accused of father's murder in Kelso forgives killer

KELSO, Wash. -- Two sons waited 22 years for answers in their father's murder.

KELSO, Wash. -- Two sons waited 22 years for answers in their father's murder.

Now that the cold case is solved, the sons are asking a judge to go easy on his killer.

Bob Bushey was brutally murdered in his Kelso travel trailer in 1994. For over 20 years, it was an unsolved murder.

His son Terry was a person of interest, having served a prison sentence for robbing his father. Even after he was cleared as a suspect, others still thought he did it.

Then in March, a man named Brandon Wright confessed to the crime. Wright said he was a young man who robbed Bob’s trailer and killed him during a scuffle.

Wright said since then, he’s turned his life around. In an interview with KOBI, Terry’s brother, Trevor, advocated for Wright to receive a lenient sentence.

Related: Terry’s brother, Trevor, advocates for father’s killer

Terry Buchey said the turn of events has caused him to self-reflect.

"It was a relief to finally have some closure, but the main thing was, I had to think long and hard about what I felt inside,” he said.

Terry said he knows what it's like to live with shame and that has helped him to let go of anger toward Wright.

"I do, with all my heart, I forgive him, and I just pray that he gets the least amount of time that he can get so he can get out and still have a life with his son," he said.

Brandon wright will appear in court Sept. 20 in Longview, where he’s expected to plead guilty. The prosecutor is recommending a sentence of 17 years for aggravated murder. Terry and Trevor Bushey want a much shorter sentence of five years.

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