Background: News footage of the December 2023 standoff between Jessie Garza and Portland police (KPTV). Inset (left): Jessie Garza during his January 2024 court appearance (KATU). Inset (right): Richard Newman (Portland Police Department).
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.”
