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Thread: Jesse Gentle Sentenced to 15 Years in 2020 ID Murder of Merle Jay Sorensen

  1. #1
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    Jesse Gentle Sentenced to 15 Years in 2020 ID Murder of Merle Jay Sorensen





    November 18, 2020

    Man charged with murder makes first court appearance

    By Eric Grossarth
    EastIdahoNews.com

    RIGBY — An Idaho Falls man made his first court appearance over Zoom on Wednesday afternoon after prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder.

    Investigators say that Jesse Gentle, 21, shot and killed Merle Jay Sorensen, 72, at a Jefferson County home on Tuesday. Magistrate Judge Robert Crowley read Gentle the murder charge and the potential punishment.

    Gentle appeared from the jail in traditional black-and-white stripes as two deputies stood by his side. EastIdahoNews.com was allowed to view the hearing but could not broadcast it.

    When Crowley asked Gentle if he understood his rights, Gentle replied, “I got a pretty good understanding. Which rights are you going to take away from me that you have not already?”

    Gentle also applied for a public defender due to his financial status. Although the form was not shown during the hearing, Crowley pointed out several items that Gentle left blank on the form, such as firearms and vehicles owned.

    “I don’t know, quite a bit,” Gentle said. “Fair amount (of value) if I got all them back, I reckon, but most of them all got tooken (sic) by the government. I used to have a pretty good share of firearms.”

    Most of Gentle’s responses to Crowley were “yep” and “mmhmm.”

    Gentle also said he had concerns about listing the value of trucks and a Jeep he owns on the form.

    “Why does it matter what they are?” Gentle said. “Why do you need to know that — so you can take them from me?”

    Crowley said that was not the purpose but to help establish Gentle’s qualification for a public defender. Crowley determined that Gentle, who is unemployed, qualifies and appointed the Jefferson County Public Defender’s Office who could the case over to other attorneys in the future.

    In Idaho, first-degree murder is punishable by death. Prosecutors have 60-days from when a defendant enters a plea to declare their intent or no intent to seek the death penalty. If death is on the table, then a death penalty certified attorney must be on the case. The Jefferson County Public Defender’s Office is not among those able to represent in such cases.

    It is not exactly clear as to why Gentle allegedly killed Sorensen. Court documents indicate that Gentle, Sorensen and a witness were smoking marijuana in the hours leading up to Sorensen’s death. At around 2 a.m., Jefferson County Sheriff deputies were called to the home and found Sorensen’s body.

    The witness claimed before the shooting Gentle said, “He has to kill five lives.” Gentle did not want to share his side of the story to detectives and asked for an attorney right away.

    Gentle will next appear in court on Dec. 2 in Jefferson County for a preliminary hearing. At the hearing, prosecutors must present enough probable cause that Gentle allegedly killed Sorensen for the case to move on to the District Court.

    Gentle remains held in the Jefferson County Jail on $750,000 bail.

    https://www.eastidahonews.com/2020/1...rt-appearance/
    Last edited by Steven; 05-13-2022 at 09:47 AM.

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    April 18, 2021

    Rigby first-degree murder case moves to district court

    By Silas Wright
    EastIdahoNews.com

    RIBGY — Twenty-one year old Jesse Gentle will face a first-degree murder charge in district court following a two-day preliminary hearing on Thursday and Friday.

    During the hearing, Magistrate Judge Robert Crowley listened to arguments presented by the prosecution and defense regarding the killing of 72-year-old Merel Jay Sorenson in November 2020.

    Following the hearing, Crowley determined there was sufficient evidence to go to trial and the case was bound over to district court. The date for a jury trial has not been set.

    The testimony during Thursday’s hearing focused on witness Tonya Stevenson, Gentle’s aunt and a close friend of the victim. She was in her Rigby residence with Gentle and Sorenson when the killing occurring. During her testimony, Stevenson asserted it appeared that Sorenson’s body had been sodomized when she found him, which was brand new information to the defense.

    A number of law enforcement officers also testified to the condition of the body when they arrived at the home.

    On Friday, the focus of the hearing was on expert witness Dr. Garth Warren, the forensic pathologist for Ada county, who performed the autopsy on Sorenson.

    Warren described the cause of death being two gunshots to the head. One involving the right sidewall of the nose, going from right to left and slightly downward and most likely shot from several inches away. That shot might not have been fatal, he said.

    The other wound was from the back of the skull, back to front, angled slightly upwards, and from contact range, it was surely fatal.

    During his autopsy, Warren also mentioned that contrary to Stevenson testimony, there was no sign of sexual trauma to Sorenson, or even signs of sexual activity, though he clarified that regular sexual activity may not always present with signs.

    In his opinion, he added that the gunshot wounds are most likely not from a shotgun. Stevenson’s testimony included seeing Gentle handle her shotgun shortly before she heard gunshots. She then testified to taking the shotgun away from Gentle before finding Sorenson’s body.

    She also testified she had seen Gentle earlier in the weekend with a .22 caliber revolver. He had pointed it at his own head, and said that he didn’t know who to use it on. The revolver was later found on the bed that Gentle used after detectives found Sorenson’s body dragged to the bathroom.

    Warren added that traces of methamphetamines’ were found in the body, but it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how and when they were taken, as there were no signs of injection marks.

    During closing arguments, the prosecution iterated there was sufficient probable cause showing a crime had occurred and that Gentle had killed Sorensen to move the case to district court. In order to make this a case of first degree murder, the prosecution must also prove that this was a willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing.

    “Premeditation means to consider beforehand whether to kill or not to kill, and then to make the decision to kill,” Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Dyal said.

    Dyal went on to suggest that the fact that evidence suggests the two shots came from the single action revolver shows the murder wasn’t a quick rash decision.

    “Single action means you have to pull back the hammer each time you pull the trigger,” he added. “This is not a semi automatic weapon where a slip of the finger can pull the trigger twice.”

    For the defense, attorney James Archibald claimed there was not enough proof needed to take the case to trial.

    “We don’t believe there is proof of premeditation. We don’t believe there is proof of malice,” he said. “The state has presented no evidence of a confession. The state has presented no evidence of any reason for there to be malice between Mr. Gentle and Mr. Sorenson.”

    Archibald continued to talk about how the night was a ‘drug fueled’ event, showing how meth was found in Sorenson’s body along with Gentle’s. He also questioned the validity of Stevenson testimony, given that she admitted that a hair follicle test might show the presence of meth in her system as well.

    “I don’t think anyone in this courtroom believes she was reading the bible, minding her own business, smoking pot,” Archibald said.

    At the end of the hearing, Judge Crowley announced his decision to move the case to district court. Bail will continue as previously set at $750,000.

    https://www.eastidahonews.com/2021/0...istrict-court/

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    Gentle pleads not guilty to first degree murder charge, state seeks death penalty

    By Samantha Vanderwalker
    The Jefferson Star

    Jesse Stirling Gentle, 21 of Idaho Falls, plead ‘not guilty’ to the murder of 72-year-old Merle Jay Sorensen, also of Idaho Falls, at an arraignment May 10.

    According to the court minutes from May 10, Gentle was informed of the first degree murder charge, which is punishable by a commitment to the Idaho Penitentiary for a maximum of ten years to life and or a fine of $50,000.

    Gentle then entered a “not guilty” plea.

    Gentle’s attorneys asked the state to notify them as soon as possible if they would be seeking the death penalty to allow for them to prepare for the penalty, to which the state responded that they will be filing for the death penalty.

    Sorenson was killed in a Jefferson County home Nov. 17, 2020 and Gentle was arrested as the alleged murderer at the time. Sorenson and Gentle were at the home of Gentle’s aunt, Tonya Stevenson, where drug use took place during their stay.

    Officers received the call of a shooting and arrived on the scene at approximately 2 a.m. Nov. 17. Stevenson awoke stated that she awoke to gunshots before finding Sorenson and calling the police.

    According to court documents, Stevenson said that Gentle stated he would take care of Sorenson when she accused Gentle of killing him. Idaho State Crime Scene Investigators reported finding bloody clothes soaked in bleach and water, an empty gallon of bleach, shoes and a gun in the area of the house where Gentle was staying.

    Following the plea at the arraignment, a trial date was set for Sept. 20, 2021, to take place over two weeks. A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for 1:45 p.m. Aug. 23 with a status conference at 1:45 p.m. July 6.

    https://www.postregister.com/star/ne...853282430.html
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    An Idaho Falls man is expected to plead guilty Tuesday to killing a man in Jefferson County last year.

    Jesse Gentle, 22, has been charged with first-degree murder after investigators say he shot and killed Merle Jay Sorensen, 72, at a Jefferson County home on Nov. 17, 2020.

    The change of plea hearing for Gentle is scheduled for Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the Jefferson County Courthouse. Details of whether a plea agreement was reached in the case were not immediately available.

    Prosecutors have been seeking the death penalty against Gentle.

    Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies discovered Sorensen’s body in a bathroom at the home of Gentle’s aunt. Gentle and Sorensen were at the house and were reportedly using drugs leading up to the slaying.

    https://www.eastidahonews.com/2021/1...county-murder/
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    Man avoids death penalty by pleading guilty to fatal shooting

    Eric Grossarth, EastIdahoNews.com

    RIGBY — An Idaho Falls man has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for fatally shooting a 72-year-old man at a Jefferson County Home.

    Jesse Gentle changed his plea to guilty Tuesday afternoon before District Judge Stevan Thompson. Gentle pleaded guilty to the charge in exchange for prosecutors amending the charge from first-degree murder.

    “I just want to deeply apologize,” Gentle said at the change of plea hearing. He said the charge against him was accurate because he shot and killed Sorenson on Nov. 17, 2020.

    Gentle had been facing the first-degree murder charge since November 2020 when investigators were called to the fatal shooting of Merle Jay Sorensen. Gentle was facing the death penalty before the charge was amended as part of a plea agreement.

    “After careful review of developments in the Jesse Gentle case – including new information regarding circumstances surrounding the killing of Mr. Sorensen, the testimony of the lay witness at the preliminary hearing and the evidence that the State would be able to get admitted at trial – the State amended the charge against Gentle,” Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.

    Gentle now faces a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

    A plea agreement stipulates defense attorneys will request he be sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of parole. Prosecutors are going to ask for the full 15 years without the possibility of parole, according to the plea agreement.

    The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was called to a house on Nov. 17, 2020 and found Sorensen’s body in a bathroom. He had been shot in the head and investigators believe Gentle tried to use bleach to clean up the crime scene.

    Gentle and Sorensen had been staying with Gentle’s aunt and the two reportedly smoked marijuana over the weekend. Gentle was also seen injecting himself with a substance but his aunt did not know what it was. An autopsy showed Sorensen had traces of methamphetamine in his system, but it could not be determined when he last used.

    In addition to injecting himself, Gentle reportedly said “he has to kill five lives” two times, according to a probable cause affidavit.

    While at the home, Gentle’s aunt told investigators she heard two gunshots. When the aunt asked Gentle why he was shooting, he said he was “shooting a mouse.” The witness yelled at Gentle for shooting in her house. She then turned and saw Sorensen kneeling in front of a futon with blood splatter on the back of his shirt.

    The witness asked what was wrong with Sorensen and Gentle responded that the man had a nosebleed. The witness nudged Sorensen and it became apparent that he was dead, according to court documents.

    At some point, Gentle moved the body from the area near the futon to the bathroom.

    During a preliminary hearing for Gentle, Defense Attorney Jim Archibald called the killing a “drug-fueled” event. Archibald noted that both men had been using drugs.

    Sentencing for Gentle is scheduled for Jan. 11, 2022.

    https://www.eastidahonews.com/2021/1...atal-shooting/
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    Idaho Falls man sentenced for voluntary manslaughter

    By Andrea Olson
    EastIdahoNews.com

    RIGBY — An Idaho Falls man was sentenced Tuesday for fatally shooting a 72-year-old man at a Jefferson County home.

    District Judge Stevan Thompson sentenced Jesse Gentle to a total of 15 years, with a fixed term of 12 years and a three-year indeterminate period to follow. Gentle previously pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on Oct. 19.

    “I don’t really know what to say other than I’m real sorry to everybody affected and the family. Everything that’s been a consequence of what I’ve done,” Gentle said at his sentencing. “I’m going to have to live with what I’ve done for the rest of my life. I wish I could take it back. I really apologize to everybody here today.”

    The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was called to a house on Nov. 17, 2020, and found Merle Jay Sorensen’s body in a bathroom. He had been shot in the head and investigators believe Gentle tried to use bleach to clean up the crime scene.

    Gentle and Sorensen had been staying with Gentle’s aunt and the two reportedly smoked marijuana over the weekend. Gentle was also seen injecting himself with a substance but his aunt did not know what it was. An autopsy showed Sorensen had traces of methamphetamine in his system, but it could not be determined when he last used it.

    “Jesse Gentle took my uncle from our family. He ripped one of the most peaceful, loving, caring, and comprehensive people that has ever been known in just a matter of minutes,” said one of Sorensen’s nephews at the sentencing. “It takes an enormous amount of hate for someone to shoot someone. That person doesn’t have a reverence for life.”

    Gentle has the right to appeal the sentence. Thompson had said restitution will be decided at a later time. At the sentencing, he discussed that drug addiction is a big issue that faces the courts.

    “This is what this case really is about—the ravages of drug addiction and what it does to people. It’s something we fight in the courts every day. Ninety percent of the cases I handle in court are all drug cases. We try to work through people that are dealing with drug addictions to avoid what’s happened in this case,” Thompson said.

    https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/0...-manslaughter/

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