Who is Guillermo Raya Leon? Oregon man sentenced to life in prison for killing Clark County Sergeant Jeremy Brown in 2021
VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON: Guillermo Raya Leon, 28, an Oregon man who was found guilty of killing Clark County Sheriff’s Office sergeant Jeremy Brown on July 23 2021, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday, reports said.
Last week, he was charged with aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree trafficking in stolen property, first-degree burglary, theft of a motor vehicle and two counts of possession of a stolen firearm, as per The Columbian.
How was Jeremy Brown killed?
In 2021, Jeremy Brown, a surveillance agent, was in his unmarked SUV at an east Vancouver apartment complex.
He was watching Guillermo Raya Leon and his relatives who were suspected of stealing and selling firearms and ammunition from a storage unit.
Guillermo Raya Leon shot Jeremy Brown and escaped in a car with his brother, Abran Raya-Leon, and his brother’s wife, Misty Raya. The car crashed about a mile away.
The police caught Abran Raya Leon and Misty Raya after a long search while US Marshals arrested Guillermo Raya-Leon in Salem two days later.
Misty Raya has been sentenced to 25 years
Abran Raya-Leon, 30 who drove the car that helped the shooter escape, was found guilty of murder and illegal possession of a stolen gun in August. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison.
Raya Leon’s sister-in-law, Misty Raya, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree burglary, one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of theft of a firearm.
She, too, was sentenced after Raya Leon’s hearing for 25 years in prison KPTV reported.
Guillermo Raya Leon had argued that Jeremy Brown was killed in self-defence
The defence attorney Therese Lavallee, in the court, claimed that Raya Leon did not mean to kill the detective, but only wanted to check if he was spying on them.
The prosecution argued that Raya Leon knew Brown was a police officer and had time to plan his attack. They said Raya Leon crept up behind Brown and shot him.
After the verdict, Lavallee said she respected the jury’s decision. Aggravated first-degree murder carries a mandatory minimum of life in prison.
During the guilty verdict, as per OPB Brown’s widow, Jill Brown, hugged friends and family who piled into the benches on the prosecution’s side of the courtroom.
Clark County Sheriff John Horch described the verdict as bittersweet. He said, “It doesn’t bring our friend back but justice was served,” thanking the prosecutors and the jurors.