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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.”
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.
Witnesses at the scene saw Garza, who was also known to some as “Buddy,” leaving Newman’s house and identified him to police. He had already racked up a number of warrants for his arrest. The DA said that there were “a number of people” inside the residence who “all described a scenario in which the gunman [later identified as Garza] entered the home with his gun drawn.”
Two weeks later, on Dec. 28, 2023, the DA stated that the police got a tip that Garza was driving a stolen Chevy Impala. As police tracked the vehicle driven by Garza, they followed him to an apartment complex. Garza jumped out of his moving vehicle and fled on foot, then he opened fire on the officers behind him.
Garza then barricaded himself inside one of the apartments and exchanged gunfire with officers again. After a 4-hour standoff, Garza surrendered. No officers were shot or injured.
After initially entering a plea of not guilty, Garza changed his plea on April 3. Garza agreed to plead guilty to two counts of attempted murder, second-degree murder, and first-degree burglary. He was sentenced by a judge to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 32 years.
Before the hearing ended, Garza turned to Newman’s family and apologized, saying, “As a man I’ll tell you, I’m sorry.”
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