An Oregon man who led a standoff with police after fleeing the scene of a murder told his friend that he was going to let the police take him out , saying, “I’m not going to jail.”
In a press release on April 4, the Multnomah County District Attorney announced the sentencing of Jessie Garza III, 31, after he changed his plea to guilty on several charges including second-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. In December 2023, Garza shot 58-year-old Richard Newman several times then fled the scene. Two weeks later, Garza barricaded himself in an apartment and opened fire on police.
According to court records obtained by The Oregonian, Garza had told a friend after the murder, “I’m not going to jail” and “I’m going to make them kill me.”
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On the night of Dec. 14, 2023, Garza wasn’t even looking for Newman, according to the DA. He was looking for a man known as “Moro,” and Newman was known to be a father figure to him. But when Garza showed up at Newman’s home demanding to know where Moro was, Newman asked Garza to leave. Garza then shot Newman three times — in the arm, chest, and stomach — before fleeing the scene. Newman was alive when officers arrived at the scene and later died at the hospital…