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Thread: Jason Michael Hann (Jessica Marie Hann) - California Death Row

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    Jason Michael Hann (Jessica Marie Hann) - California Death Row


    Jason Michael Hann prior to sex change


    Jessica Marie Hann


    D.A. to seek death penalty in slaying of infant near Desert Hot Springs

    Prosecutors announced Monday they will seek the death penalty for a man accused of killing his baby daughter near Desert Hot Springs nine years ago and leaving her body in a camper in Arkansas.

    The Riverside County District Attorney's Office decided Friday to seek capital punishment for Jason Michael Hann, said D.A.'s spokesman John Hall.

    Hann, 35, was indicted by a grand jury in September on a murder charge stemming from the February 2001 death of his months-old daughter, Montana.

    Hann also faces a special circumstance allegation of a previous murder conviction.

    Also charged in Montana's death is Hann's then-girlfriend Krissy Lynn Werntz, 30. She will not face the death penalty because no special circumstance allegations have been filed against her.

    But Werntz could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.

    Hann's attorney, Gregory M. Johnson, said the decision was disappointing. The defense attorney said he doesn't expect the case to go to trial for at least a year.

    Montana was born in Arizona in December 2000, and the family moved to a trailer park near Desert Hot Springs about a month later, according to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant prepared by Riverside County sheriff's investigator Gary LeClair.

    Werntz told LeClair that on Feb. 10, 2001, she had gone to work and Hann had stayed in their motor home with Montana.

    Werntz said when she returned home, she picked up the infant from a bed in the bathtub, but the baby was dead, according to LeClair.

    Hann told a Maine detective in 2002 that he had lost his temper and hit the baby on the side of the head with his hand, and she died later that day, LeClair wrote.

    Hann decided to keep his daughter in a trash bag so they could keep her with them, according to LeClair, adding that the couple left California two months later to travel.

    The couple left their daughter's body in a trailer at a storage facility in Wynne, Ark., but when they didn't make the rental payments, property managers seized the unit and put the contents up for sale, according to LeClair.

    A man later bought the trailer from the unit and while cleaning it out found the infant's decomposed body. The infant's injuries included skull and leg fractures.

    The couple was arrested in April 2002 by Maine authorities at a Motel 6, according to court documents. They were sent to Arkansas in June 2002 to stand trial for the death of their daughter, but a judge there ordered the case to be turned over to California authorities because the death occurred in Riverside County, LeClair wrote.

    Hann was convicted in 2006 in Vermont of murdering his first child, Jason, who was 5 weeks old when slain.

    Hann is being held at the Indio Jail without bail. Werntz is free on her own recognizance.

    http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100202/NEWS0802/2020302/1138/news01/D.A.+to+seek+death+penalty+in+slaying+of+infant+ne ar+Desert+Hot+Springs

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    Infant murder trial put on hold to test defendant's sanity

    Criminal proceedings were suspended Monday for a man accused of killing his baby daughter near Desert Hot Springs because his attorney declared a doubt of his client's competence.

    Riverside County Superior Court Judge Thomas Douglass suspended the criminal proceedings against Jason Michael Hann, 35, when defense attorney Gregory M. Johnson asked for a sanity examination.

    Douglass appointed psychologist Michael Leitman to examine Hann and submit a report to the court. The judge also ordered Hann to return to court on May 24 for a hearing on the psychologists' findings.

    Hann could face the death penalty if convicted of a murder charge stemming from the February 2001 death of his months-old daughter, Montana.

    Hann also faces a special circumstance allegation that could bring the death penalty, because he was convicted in Vermont of murdering another child of his after Montana's death. Hann was already serving a prison sentence for that crime when Vermont officials allowed him to be hauled back into California courts, where a death penalty could be imposed.

    Montana was born in Arizona in December 2000, and the family moved to a trailer park near Desert Hot Springs about a month later, according to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant prepared by Riverside County sheriff's Investigator Gary LeClair.

    Also charged in Montana's death is Hann's then-girlfriend Krissy Lynn Werntz, 30, who faces life in prison if convicted. She told LeClair that on Feb. 10, 2001, she had gone to work and Hann had stayed home in their motor home with Montana.

    Werntz said when she returned home, she picked up the infant from a bed in the bathtub, but the baby was dead, according to LeClair.

    Hann told a detective in Maine in 2002 that he had lost his temper and hit the baby on the side of the head with his hand, and she died later that day, LeClair wrote.

    Hann decided to put his daughter in a trash bag so they could keep her with them, according to LeClair, adding that the couple left California two months later to travel around the nation.

    The couple left their daughter's body in a trailer at a storage facility in Wynne, Ark., but when they didn't make the rental payments, property managers seized the unit and put the contents up for sale, according to LeClair.

    A man later bought the trailer from the unit and while cleaning it out, found the infant's decomposed body. The infant's injuries included skull and leg fractures.

    The couple was arrested in April 2002 by Maine authorities at a Motel 6, according to court documents.

    They were sent to Arkansas in June 2002 to stand trial for the death of their daughter, but a judge there ordered the case to be turned over to California authorities because the death occurred in Riverside County.

    Hann is being held at the Indio Jail without bail. Werntz is free on her own recognizance.

  3. #3
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    Judge: Third psychologist to examine suspect in baby killing

    A third psychologist was appointed Friday to examine a man accused of killing his baby daughter near Desert Hot Springs and leaving her body in a camper in Arkansas.

    Jason Michael Hann, 35, could face the death penalty if convicted of the February 2001 murder of his infant daughter, Montana.

    Also charged in Montana's death is her mother — Hann's then-girlfriend, Krissy Lynn Werntz, 30 — who faces life in prison if convicted.

    Hann is being held at the Riverside County Jail in Indio without bail.

    Werntz is free on her own recognizance.

    Hann killed another of his children in Vermont and was in prison for that crime when Vermont officials allowed him to be brought back to California to stand trial for the other child's death.

    But Riverside County Superior Court Judge Thomas Douglass suspended the criminal proceedings in April, after defense attorney Gregory M. Johnson questioned his client's mental competence.

    The judge Friday appointed psychologist Michael Kania to examine Hann and submit a report to the court by Aug. 20. Douglass previously appointed two other psychologists at the request of the defense.

    Montana was born in Arizona in December 2000, and the family moved to a trailer park near Desert Hot Springs about a month later, according to Riverside County sheriff's Investigator Gary LeClair.

    Hann told investigators that on Feb. 10, 2001, he lost his temper and slapped Montana on the side of the head, and that she died later that day.

    Werntz said that when she returned home, she picked up the infant from a bed in the bathtub, but Montana was dead.

    They kept the girl in a trash bag, and two months later the couple left California, with the infant's body, to travel around the nation.

    The couple left their daughter's body in a trailer at a storage facility in Wynne, Ark., and when they didn't make the rental payments, the contents were sold.

    A man later bought the trailer and found the infant's decomposed body, which had skull and leg fractures.

    http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100710/NEWS0802/7100308/1006/news01/Judge++Third+psychologist+to+examine+suspect+in+ba by+killing

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    Judge: Man fit for trial in death of daughter

    INDIO — A judge Monday declared a man mentally competent to stand trial on charges of killing his baby daughter near Desert Hot Springs more than 10 years ago and leaving her body in a camper in Arkansas.

    Jason Michael Hann, 36, could face the death penalty if convicted of the February 2001 murder of his infant daughter Montana.

    Also charged in Montana's death is her mother — Hann's then-girlfriend, Krissy Lynn Werntz, 32 — who faces life in prison if convicted of murder.

    Hann killed another of his children in Vermont and was in prison for that crime when Vermont officials allowed him to be brought back to California to stand trial for the other child's death.

    Riverside County Superior Court Judge Thomas Douglass suspended the criminal proceedings in April 2010, after defense attorney Gregory M. Johnson questioned his client's mental competence. Judges had appointed several psychologists to examine Hann since then.

    Judge James S. Hawkins on Monday declared Hann mentally competent to stand trial after reading the three most recent psychologists' reports, according to court records. Hann and Werntz are due back in court Feb. 17 for a trial-readiness conference.

    Montana was born in Arizona in December 2000, and the family moved to a trailer park near Desert Hot Springs about a month later, Riverside County sheriff's Investigator Gary LeClair said.

    Hann told investigators that on Feb. 10, 2001, he lost his temper and slapped Montana on the side of the head, and that she died later that day.

    Werntz said that when she returned home, she picked up the infant from a bed in the bathtub, but Montana was dead.

    They kept the girl in a trash bag and, two months later, the couple left California, with the infant's body, to travel around the nation.

    The couple left their daughter's body in a trailer at a storage facility in Wynne, Ark., and when they didn't make the rental payments, the contents were sold.

    A man later bought the trailer and found the infant's decomposed body, which had skull and leg fractures.

    http://www.mydesert.com/article/2011...death-daughter

  5. #5
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    Man accused of killing baby in Desert Hot Springs heads to trial

    Opening statements are scheduled Monday in the trial of a Vermont man accused in the death of his 2-month-old daughter, who was killed in Desert Hot Springs several years after another of his children met the same fate, with both infants' bodies found in storage units in 2 different states.

    Jason Michael Hann, 38, is charged with one count of murder, with a special circumstance allegation of having a previous murder conviction, and 1 count of assault on a child causing great bodily injury. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

    Krissy Lynn Werntz, the baby's 34-year-old mother and Hann's then-girlfriend, is also charged with murder and will be tried separately.

    In February 2002, the decomposed remains of the couple's 2-month-old daughter, Montana, were found in a storage unit in Arkansas after they failed to pay the bill and the unit's contents were sold. The person who bought the contents "made the gruesome discovery while cleaning out a plastic container," which contained a trash bag holding Montana's remains, according to John Hall of the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

    The Arkansas State Medical Examiner's Office determined Montana died by "homicidal violence by undetermined means."

    Her injuries included skull fractures and a leg fracture, although it was unclear if they were sustained before or after death, according to a declaration filed in support of an arrest warrant.

    An "all-points bulletin" was sent to law enforcement agencies around the country, and Hann and Werntz were arrested in April 2002 at a motel in Portland, Maine.

    The day after they were arrested, police found the remains of another of their children, a boy less than 2 months old, in a storage unit in Arizona, Hall said. That baby, named Jason, had been killed in July 1999 in Vermont.

    His remains were placed in a plastic container and kept by the couple for about a year before they rented the Arizona storage unit, Hall said. In February 2006 in Vermont, Hann entered a no-contest plea to 2nd-degree murder in the baby's death and was sentenced to 27 to 30 years in prison. Werntz wasn't charged in that case, Hall said.

    Authorities investigating the couple determined that their third child, a boy about a month old, had "life-threatening injuries consistent with child abuse, including a dozen rib fractures and retinal hemorrhages," Hall said. While being questioned, Hann told police that the couple's daughter Montana had died in Desert Hot Springs, Hall said.

    Montana was born in Arizona on Dec. 1, 2000, and the family moved to California about a month later. Werntz told Riverside County sheriff's Investigator Gary LeClair that on Feb. 10, 2001, she went to work and Hann stayed at their motor home with Montana. When Werntz returned home, she picked up Montana, but the baby was dead, LeClair wrote in a declaration in support of an arrest warrant.

    Hann told a Maine detective in 2002 that he had lost his temper and hit Montana on the side of the head with his hand, and the baby died later that day, LeClair wrote.

    Werntz said Hann decided to keep Montana in a trash bag "so they could keep her with them," and they left California 2 months later, according to LeClair, who said the couple eventually left the baby's remains a in a trailer at the storage facility in Wynne, Ark.

    Hann was in prison for his son Jason's death when officials in Vermont agreed to extradite him to California to stand trial for Montana's death. He and Hann were indicted by a grand jury in September 2009, according to court records.

    (Source: mydesert.com)
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  6. #6
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    December 19, 2013

    INDIO: Father draws death penalty verdict for infant’s murder

    On his 39th birthday, a father drew a death penalty verdict for murdering his 2-month-old daughter 12 years ago in Desert Hot Springs.

    The Indio jury issued its decision Thursday, Dec. 19, just two days after they convicted Jason Michael Hann of Vermont of first-degree murder and assault on a child resulting in death.

    Those convictions were accompanied by the jury’s finding that Hann had previously been convicted of another murder — of his infant son — a “special circumstance” that opened the door for a death verdict in the current case. Hann is scheduled to return to court Feb. 21 for a formal sentencing.

    The case began in February 2000 when the decomposed remains of Hann’s 2-month-old daughter, Montana, were found in a storage unit in Arkansas after Hann and the baby’s mother failed to pay the storage bill, resulting in the unit’s contents being sold.

    “The purchaser … made the gruesome discovery while cleaning out a plastic container,” Riverside County District Attorney’s spokesman John Hall said in a written statement.

    Hann was arrested in April 2002 at a motel in Portland, Maine, with the child’s mother, Krissy Lynn Werntz of Indiana.

    “During questioning by police, Hann told them that Montana … died in Desert Hot Springs in 2001,” according to the statement. “The day after the arrests, police found the remains of another of the couple’s children in a storage unit in Arizona.

    “That baby, a boy less than 2 months old, had been killed in July 1999 in Vermont and his remains kept in a plastic container by the couple for more than a year before they rented the Arizona storage unit in December 2000.”

    In February 2006, Hann pleaded no contest in Vermont and was convicted of second-degree murder for his son’s death. He was sentenced to imprisonment for 27 to 30 years.

    Following the arrests, investigators found that the couple’s surviving child — a boy then about a month old — had life-threatening injuries consistent with child abuse, including a dozen rib fractures and retinal hemorrhages.

    Werntz is awaiting trial in Riverside County on one count of murder stemming from the death of her daughter, Montana.

    http://blog.pe.com/breaking-news/201...nfants-murder/

  7. #7
    Senior Member CnCP Addict TrudieG's Avatar
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    Both should rot in a very hot place after getting the needle. I hope the DP is the sentence in this case it truly is warranted.

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    Jason Hann gets death sentence in 'Tupperware' baby killing

    INDIO, Calif. (CNS) -- A man described by a prosecutor as a "serial baby killer" who inflicted fatal injuries on his 10-week-old daughter in Desert Hot Springs less than two years after another of his infant children met a similar fate was sentenced to death today.

    Jurors convicted 39-year-old Jason Michael Hann in December and recommended he be executed for killing his daughter, Montana, in February 2001. Riverside Superior Court Judge James S. Hawkins upheld their recommendation.

    Hann was convicted of first-degree murder and assault on a child causing great bodily injury, along with a special circumstance allegation of having a previous murder conviction.

    Krissy Lynn Werntz, the baby's 34-year-old mother and Hann's then-girlfriend, is also charged with murder and has a March 17 trial date.

    Prosecutors said Hann struck Montana in the head, inflicting fatal skull fractures. He wrapped her head in duct tape and her body in trash bags and placed her in a Tupperware container, which was then put in another trash bag and kept inside a trailer for a year at an Arkansas storage unit.

    When Hann and Werntz stopped making payments, the trailer was auctioned off to an Arkansas man, who discovered the bag in February 2002, Deputy District Attorney Lisa DiMaria said. Hann and Werntz were taken into custody in April 2002 at a motel in Portland, Maine.

    The day after they were arrested, police found the remains of another of their children, a boy less than 2 months old, in a plastic container inside a storage unit in Arizona. That baby, named Jason, had been killed in July 1999 in Vermont.

    In February 2006 in Vermont, Hann entered a no-contest plea to second-degree murder in the baby's death and was sentenced to 27 to 30 years in prison. Werntz wasn't charged in that case.

    Authorities investigating the couple determined that their third child, a month-old boy named Michael, had skull, femur and rib fractures and was on the "brink of death" when he was found, DiMaria told jurors. That boy was later adopted and renamed.

    While being questioned, Hann told police that Montana had died in Desert Hot Springs. The baby was born in Arizona on Dec. 1, 2000, and the family moved from Vermont to California about a month later and was staying in a motor home in Desert Hot Springs at the time she died.

    Hann was in prison for the death of his son, Jason, when officials in Vermont agreed to extradite him to California to stand trial for Montana's death. He and Werntz were indicted by a grand jury in September 2009.

    Hann's attorney, Brenda Miller, said during the trial that her client suffered from bipolar disorder, and his emotions "came to a peak with (the baby's) continual crying, resulting in the death of infant Montana."

    She said he told a detective that he struck the baby on the side of the head, saying, "I just flipped out, something just comes over me."

    http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?se...ire&id=9440617

  9. #9
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    Jason Michael Hann thus joins fellow 2014 arrival Jason Michael Balcom on California's death row. It's shaping up to be a subpar year for murderers named Jason Michael in California.

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    Testimony ends in Desert Hot Springs baby death case

    The defense rested Thursday in the trial of a 34-year-old Ohio woman accused in the death of her 10-week-old daughter, whose remains were found in an Arkansas storage unit a year after the baby was killed in Desert Hot Springs.

    Krissy Lynn Werntz, 34, is charged with murder in the February 2001 death of her daughter, Montana.

    The baby's father, Jason Michael Hann, was convicted of murder last December for inflicting the fatal injuries and was sentenced to death in February.

    If convicted, Werntz, who's free on her own recognizance, faces 25 years to life in prison, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

    Closing arguments are scheduled for Monday morning.

    Werntz started dating Hann when she was around 18, and they traveled the country.

    Their first child, Jason, was born in Ohio.

    Several weeks later, in July 1999 in Vermont, the infant suffered ultimately fatal injuries, but "at no point in time did the defendant seek medical attention for the baby or call authorities," Deputy District Attorney Lisa DiMaria told jurors.

    Instead, Werntz and Hann continued to travel the country with the baby's remains "in the backseat," DiMaria said.

    On Dec. 1, 2000, their daughter, Montana, was born healthy. A forensic examination after her death showed her leg had been "severely broken, with a through-and-through fracture" that would have required a lot of force to inflict, the prosecutor said.

    "It is incredibly painful ... yet the defendant never took Montana to the hospital, never took her to the doctor, never sought any medical care for this little baby's broken leg," DiMaria said.

    Montana died on Feb. 10, 2001, "and again, rather than call the authorities, the defendants first wrapped the baby's head in duct tape and put this baby's body into trash bags and put them into a Tupperware container," the prosecutor said.

    The remains were kept in a trailer in a Arkansas storage unit.

    But when Hann and Werntz stopped making payments, the trailer was auctioned off in February 2002 to an Arkansas man, who dumped the contents of the container into a Dumpster after detecting a foul odor.

    "As the contents fell into the Dumpster, a little mummified hand fell out, the only part of the body that had not decomposed," DiMaria said.

    She said Montana's skull had been fractured so severely it "ended up opening like a walnut."

    Grisly find

    Hann and Werntz were arrested in April 2002 at a motel in Portland, Maine. The following day, police found their son Jason's remains in a plastic container in a storage unit in Arizona.

    In February 2006 in Vermont, Hann pleaded no contest to second-degree murder in Jason's death and was sentenced to 27-30 years in prison. Werntz wasn't charged in that case.

    The couple's third child, a month-old boy named Michael, had skull, femur and rib fractures when he was found.

    That boy survived and was later adopted by his foster mother, DiMaria said.

    Defense attorney Naomi Coady said Werntz usually worked temporary jobs as she and Hann moved around.

    The lawyer said that Hann, who was the primary caregiver for the couple's children, called and told Werntz their son had fallen and hit his head.

    Werntz came home and checked Jason, but saw no signs of any problems.

    Six weeks later, she woke to see Hann leaning over Jason, her attorney said. "She tried to see what he was doing, but he pushed her down ... When she was able to get up she looked at her precious baby ... he was cold," Coady said.

    Werntz didn't call anyone and didn't know why the baby died, her attorney said.

    "She knew if she called anybody, they'd take her baby away and she couldn't bear to be without him," she said.

    They kept the baby's remains with them, and kept moving.

    After Montana was born, Hann wouldn't let Werntz hold her, and she got another job through a temp agency when they moved to Desert Hot Springs, Coady said.

    On Feb. 10, 2001, Werntz returned from work eager to see Montana, and found her in the bathtub.

    "Her daughter's eyes were fixed, she was cold to the touch, and she was dead," Coady said. "... She didn't call police; she didn't know what happened."

    As before, "she couldn't bear to be without her," the defense attorney said.

    Prior case

    She said the jury would hear about the "trauma" to the couple's third child, but asked the panelists to keep open minds.

    "You will not hear evidence that Krissy Werntz had any knowledge of abuse to her children," Coady said.

    Hann was in prison for Jason's death when Vermont law enforcement authorities agreed to extradite him to California to stand trial for Montana's death. He and Werntz were indicted by a grand jury in September 2009.

    http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/...death/7293637/
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

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