Results for: First-Degree Murder

Jason Cortez, a 29-year-old from Watsonville, was convicted of first-degree murder for the 2019 killing of his Santa Cruz County Jail cellmate, German Carrillo. Carrillo, 24, was stabbed, strangled, and suffocated in his cell. Cortez testified that he witnessed Carrillo’s slaying but denied direct involvement, however, the prosecution argued that he was a willful accomplice as part of a larger jail gang conspiracy. Cortez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and ordered to pay restitution to the Carrillo family.

A Genesee County Circuit Court judge has rejected a defendant’s claim that his right to a speedy trial was violated in a double homicide case. Reggie Lay, 40, has been charged with 14 counts, including two counts of first-degree premeditated murder in connection with the 2019 deaths of Nolan Michael Thomas and Nicholas Scott Collins. Lay had argued that he had been jailed and awaiting trial for nearly five years, violating his constitutional rights. However, the judge ruled against Lay’s motion to dismiss the case.

Danny Paul Eyaituk, 38, from Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Annie Tracy Oqaituq, 36. Eyaituk’s arrest follows an investigation by the RCMP’s major crime unit, forensic identification section, and Sanikiluaq RCMP detachment. He is scheduled to appear in court in Iqaluit on Tuesday.