Media and News
Stories and updates about Jesse, State vs. Nelson, Washington State police legislation, and impacted families
From the Leaves of Remembrance Project
"For the Celebration of Dia de los Muertos, we're blessing and dedicating 15 Leaves near Plaza Roberto Maestas at El Centro de la Raza on Beacon Hill (1660 S. Roberto Maestas Festival St.). We're so very honored to be doing this dedication in partnership with El Centro during this very special celebration. These Leaves are for Gilberto Lira-Garcia, Richard Fitts, Jose Ramirez Ocampos, Estyl Hall, Jr., Samuel Rodriguez, Michael Taylor, Melissa Speed, Juan Sontay, Delilah Hernandez, Marvin Lewis Spears, Hector Lopez, Rachel Spradlin, Bonifacio Romero Tlalchetl, Jesse Sarey, and Johnathan Buryl Upham(...)Thank you for being part of our Beloved Community."
THE JESSE SAREY STORY
Created by the Social Justice Sewing Academy for display at the Wing Luke Museum
Featured Stories
Published 10/21/23 by the October 22nd Coalition in New York--Showcasing highlights from the 28th Annual National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and the Criminalization of a Generation
Published 7/18/22 by Hanna Scott (KIRO Newsradio Reporter)--Former interim Seattle Police Chief Jim Pugel will be a key witness for the prosecution in the murder trial of Auburn Police Officer Jeff Nelson.
Published 4/29/22 by Mike Carter (Seattle Times Staff Reporter)--A King County judge on Friday said she would again postpone the murder trial of Auburn Police Officer Jeff Nelson, accused in the 2019 shooting death of Jesse Sarey, saying pending motions will preclude a scheduled June trial date.
Judged by XII: Story of a police officer charged with murder created April 8th, 2022--Podcast available for listening via Spotify
Published 2/13/23 by Mike Carter (Seattle Times Staff Reporter)--The Sarey family continues to endure through years of trial prolongation and court date extensions to gain justice for Jesse.
Guilty
After three days of deliberation, the jury in the Jeff Nelson trial reached a verdict. The tension in the courtroom was palpable as the verdict was read - guilty on charges of second-degree murder and first-degree assault. One person in the courtroom cried out "Thank you!". Nelson, a suburban Seattle police officer, had been charged in the 2019 shooting death of Jesse Sarey. This marked the first conviction under Washington state's Initiative 940, a law passed in 2018 that made it easier to prosecute police officers for on-duty killings. Previously, prosecutors had to prove malice, but I-940 removed that requirement and stipulated that prosecutors only need to prove that the officer's use of force was unreasonable or unnecessary.
