ALDERPOINT, CALIFORNIA: Jake Henry Combs, a man convicted of shooting a man to death was sentenced to 100 years to life in prison on Friday morning, October 5.
He was found guilty of murdering 25-year-old Trevor Earley whom he shot at point-blank range in the head on January 6, 2022, according to Law and Crime.
What are the charges against Jake Combs?
In August, the 31-year-old man was convicted of committing first-degree murder with viciousness, callousness, and a high degree of cruelty in the death of Earley.
The victim's family members who watched the court proceedings over Zoom spoke about their tragic loss.
"My brother dies multiple times a day. He dies when I wake up in the morning and remember he’s gone. He dies when I get off work and pick up the phone to call him," said Earley's sister Sierra.
The killer shot Earley at his residence in Alderpoint as the victim who suffered a severe dog bite in the face caused by Comb's Italian mastiff, Lalo, had threatened to kill the dog.
How did Jake Combs murder Trevor Earley?
Comb and Earley were engaged in a confrontation on the home's porch and the convicted murderer walked up from behind and shot the victim in the head.
During the trial, Combs claimed that Earley told him, "You’re not leaving here with that dog alive," and he heard the door to Earley’s truck where a gun was stored, open and close.
Jake Combs wrote a letter to Trevor Earley's family
During the sentencing hearing, Combs expressed his apology for killing Earley and brought up a letter he wrote to the victim's family while he was in jail.
"I know the family will probably never read the letter and I know it doesn’t change anything … I just want them to know, and I know it doesn’t change anything, but I am sorry," said Combs.
The day after Earley was fatally shot, his family was supposed to travel to his sister Sierra's wedding. However, she found herself penning her brother's obituary instead of her wedding vows.
Before Earley was cremated, his family could only hold his hand as his body was damaged due to autopsy. The rest of the body remained covered inside a box.
"They took one hand out of his box so we could hold it and that is how we said goodbye," said Earley's mother Katrina Sutherland, Earley’s.
"There are days I sleep for hours at a time because that is the only time I’m not thinking about my son," she added.
Talking about the 100-year sentencing, Judge Kaleb Cockrum said, "I am making this decision, Mr Combs. I understand this case catches you on the worst night of your life as well, but (the killing) was cruel. The sentence is just."
