“I just want to say I’m sorry,” the woman said before sentencing.
OLYMPIA, Wash. — A Thurston County judge sentenced Nicole Romanoff to nearly 23 years in prison Friday for the murder of Gina Munna, a 70-year-old grandmother killed when Romanoff — fleeing police at speeds exceeding 100 mph while under the influence — crashed her truck into the car Munna was riding in.
Judge Christine Schaller handed down the sentence, which was 2½ years longer than prosecutors requested, after hearing emotional victim impact statements from Munna’s family.
Romanoff pleaded guilty in January to second-degree murder and vehicular assault.
The deadly crash occurred in September 2024 in Olympia, Washington.
Detectives said Romanoff had been walking through a Lacey neighborhood asking for fentanyl before neighbors called 911 and described her black truck to police.
When officers spotted her, she led them on a high-speed chase through Thurston County before slamming into a sedan, killing Munna and injuring her sister and brother-in-law, Bobbi and Bruce Clark.
Munna’s family used the sentencing hearing to paint a picture of the woman they lost.
Her husband, Ronnie Munna, and son, Greg Munna, shared their grief via video conference from Atlanta, where Gina was from.
“People around her would feel the positive energy coming from my mom, and if they were going through a tough season of life, she had a way of empathizing with others that would make you feel like you weren’t alone,” Greg Munna said.
Munna’s niece, Katie Clark, described the crash as “hands down, the worst day of my life.”
Another niece, Julia Gorton, pointed to Romanoff’s lengthy criminal history — 47 prior arrests, mostly on theft and identity theft charges — as a painful reminder of what might have been prevented.
“It makes me sick thinking that if she had just once been held to account, we may not be here today,” Gorton said.
Before sentencing, Romanoff offered only a brief statement: “I just want to say sorry to the family.”
Judge Schaller was direct in her remarks. “Those were the choices that you made and that you continued to make, and the only reason you stopped is because you crashed into this car,” she said.
Gorton said the family was pleased with the sentence but acknowledged, “It’s never going to be enough.”
To ensure diverse coverage and expert insight across a wide range of topics, our publication features contributions from multiple staff writers with varied areas of expertise.
