A senseless and aborted home invasion robbery of an elderly Coupeville woman cost Quintin Raines five years of his life.

Raines, a 24-year-old Coupeville resident, apologized profusely during his sentencing hearing in Island County Superior Court Wednesday afternoon, but was at a loss to explain why he committed the serious crime.

“This was nothing more than a huge mistake,” he said. “A ridiculously terrible decision.”

A jury found Raines, a husband and father of two young children, guilty of first-degree burglary and attempted robbery in the first degree following a three-day trial last week. The jury also found two aggravating factors that allow the judge to increase the sentence beyond the standard range. The factors were that the victim was particularly vulnerable and that the burglary took place while the resident was home.

On Wednesday, Judge Vickie Churchill sentenced Raines to five years in prison, which was months beyond the standard range but not as long as the deputy prosecutor recommended.

“You are a man that goes to church and knows right from wrong,” Churchill said.

The victim in the case, Wilma Boyden, told the court how the frightening crime robbed her of her sense of security. She and her husband installed a security camera at their home and she’s now too afraid to walk on the beach alone.

“I feel vulnerable and violated. I don’t know if I will ever heal,” she said.

Boyden had some pointed words for Raines.

“It was a really stupid choice for you,” she said. “I think you’re arrogant and I think you’re manipulative.”

Deputy Prosecutor Eric Ohme explained that Boyden met Raines, who owned a car detail business, at a trade show in Coupeville in the fall of 2007. She wanted to help him, so she hired him to detail her car at her home.

Then last March, Raines put blue knee-high pantyhose over his head, armed himself with a pellet gun and pushed his way into Boyden’s home while she was alone. He demanded money from the frail woman.

Boyden questioned Raines about why he was committed the crime. She told him, “I’m sick and this is sick,” which apparently got to him. He left without taking any money.

When deputies arrested him, he quickly confessed in detail and helped them gather evidence against him.

During the trial, Raines’ attorney, Darrin Hall of Coupeville, argued that Raines was not guilty because of diminished capacity, which means he lacked the requisite intent to commit the crimes. A psychiatrist testified that Raines suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and was in a dissociative state due to a number of childhood traumas, including abuse.

But Ohme put a psychiatrist from Western State Hospital on the stand. The expert testified that Raines was not in a dissociative state, which was partly evident from the planning that took place before the crime.

Ohme emphasized all the planning that Raines had to do. He said Raines came to the house the day before, but was surprised when the victim’s husband answered the door. He gave an excuse and left, then returned the next day when Boyden was alone.

Raines’ motive, Ohme said, was that he was badly in debt.

During sentencing, Ohme asked that Raines receive an eight-year sentence.

“He may not have taken any money, but he took something money can’t buy,” he said. “He took her sense of security, her trust in other people, her piece of mind.”

Hall, however, argued for leniency. He pointed out that Raines has no criminal history beyond a very minor charge for driving with a suspended license. He said Raines is “not your typical criminal” and that nobody, not even the defendant himself, understands why he did it.

“He’s a guy that made one bad decision in his life and it’s going to cost him five years,” Hall said after the hearing.

Raines’ wife and friend also asked the judge for mercy. They both said the crime was completely out of character for the young man.

“We have two children who absolutely adore him,” his wife said. “He’s a great father… I don’t think he’s a threat to society in any way.”

Before handing out the sentence, Judge Churchill stressed that the crime was planned, not a spur-of-the-moment decision. She said there were a number of things that occurred on his way to commit the crime that should have stopped him.

“All those instances, that was God tapping you on the shoulder to stop,” she said.