DENTON, TEXAS: A former sheriff's deputy in Texas has been sentenced to several years in prison for the murder of his special-needs girlfriend.
He shot the 46-year-old woman in the temple with his service weapon and subsequently attempted to stage the death as a suicide.
Jay A Rotter, aged 39, a former deputy with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, was convicted by a Denton County jury on Tuesday, November 21, for one count of murder in the 2020 killing of Leslie Hartman, as announced by authorities.
According to a news release from the Denton County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, the jury that found Rotter guilty of Hartman’s fatal shooting also sentenced him to 30 years in a state correctional facility.
Rotter Initially claimed that Hartman had sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound
The Denton Police Department previously revealed that Rotter called the emergency services in August 2020 and reported that Hartman suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside her home in the 2400 block of Robinwood Lane.
Upon arriving, authorities discovered Hartman deceased. She and Rotter were the sole individuals present at the residence when Hartman sustained the fatal gunshot wound.
The victim was a popular artist in the area
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Hartman, a well-known artist in the region, was paraplegic and relied on a wheelchair for her daily mobility due to injuries sustained in a car accident during her youth.
Investigators arrested Rotter and formally charged him with Hartman's murder approximately a month after the shooting.
Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn expressed shock and sadness over the incident and arrest of Jay Rotter in a statement. "We believe in the criminal justice process, and the truth will prevail," he added.
What led to Rotter's arrest?
Rotter became a part of the sheriff’s office in 2005 and advanced to the role of detective in the narcotics unit. Nevertheless, he was dismissed in 2020 following the shooting incident.
Court documents obtained by the Dallas Express revealed additional details about the evidence that led detectives to Rotter.
The most inculpatory evidence came from data found on Rotter’s cellphone, particularly messages transcribed on the Discord app at about the same time Hartman was killed.
"I TOLD HER. LISTEN. ONE SHOT ONLY. THEY CALL IT IN AFTER AND THEY CAN," he allegedly wrote in a message that was never sent but was later retrieved from his message drafts.
"I just sent a 9 millie in this f—— hippy." Rotter also sent messages via Discord to several people, accompanied by images of himself holding his service weapon during the same time period.
Hartman sent a text message to a friend at 10:32 pm before her death, which also appeared to implicate Rotter. Reportedly, she wrote that Rotter, who had been residing with her for approximately six months, was "in a mood."
She also mentioned that Rotter had been using drugs and was "falling around the house."
During the trial, Rotter’s defense attorneys argued that the messages he wrote on the night of Hartman’s death were in reference to a milk bottle he had shot in the backyard, as reported by the Express.
They also stressed that there was no history of domestic violence between Hartman and Rotter.
The jury reportedly deliberated for only about three hours before reaching a verdict to convict Rotter.
