Back in March 2024, Jamie Wilson-Spray, a 25-year-old Washington woman, was being interviewed for a chef position. However, all of a sudden, her estranged husband, Jacob Spray, entered Wilson Spray's home and proceeded to rape and strangle Jamie to death. Reportedly, Spray was mad that Jamie was moving in with another man after they became separated. He was found guilty of rape and murder on Thursday, January 23, 2025.
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Wilson-Spray, at the time of her gruesome murder, was being interviewed by Melissa Berry for a position at Spokane's Woman and Children's Free Restaurant and Community Kitchen, according to the Daily Mail. During the call that took place on March 26, 2024, Berry suddenly began hearing troublesome noises, leaving her scarred. Berry would later testify and say: "It was a screen I will never forget."
On the other side of the line, Jacob Spray was brutally beating, raping, and strangling her estranged wife. At around 7 p.m., police found Wilson-Spray dead at her home. An officer wrote in a report that "Jamie appeared to be deceased and had marks near her neck." The officer suspected that Wilson-Spray was strangled as there were "no other obvious injuries." Police also found a freshly ordered pizza near Wilson-Spray's body.
A pathologist named Norman Thiersch later confirmed that Wilson-Spray died by homicide. Thiersch said that she died after her neck was compressed. Her body also displayed other injuries, including blunt force injuries, bruises, and lacerations, according to the Daily Mail.
Guilty
Police later found Jacob Spray and had to subdue him by using a taser. Short of a year later, a jury found Spray guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree rape following four hours of deliberation. Chief Deputy Prosecutor Dan LeBeau stated satisfaction with the reached verdict.
"The Pullman Police Department worked tirelessly to learn what happened to the victim on the night of March 26th, with help from the Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team," LeBeau said, according to KLEW. "Without their efforts and the cooperation of countless citizens, this verdict could not have been reached."
LeBeau stated then that he "will argue for the maximum penalty allowed by law pursuant this verdict." According to KLEW, Jacob Spray can spend up to 26.5 years in prison.
