Former Auburn police officer sentenced to 16 years after murdering homeless man in 2019

Jeffrey Nelson, a former Auburn police officer who was charged with second-degree murder last year, has been sentenced to serve 16 years and eight months in prison Thursday afternoon.

Jeffrey Nelson – first #police #officer in Washington to convicted of murder now being sentenced in a #Kent #courtroom More @KIRONewsradio and @Mynorthwest pic.twitter.com/3h2Ta5M4tV

— Luke Duecy (@LukeKIRO) January 23, 2025

According to KIRO Newsradio, prosecutors were recommending for Nelson to receive an 18-year sentence, but Judge Nicole Gaines Phillips said she took into account the physical struggle between Nelson and Sarey.

Jesse Sarey shot to death in 2019

In 2019, Jesse Sarey, 26, was reportedly having a crisis and was allegedly throwing garbage, banging on store windows and kicking cars in an Auburn shopping area. Auburn Police Officer Jeffrey Nelson stated Sarey failed to comply with arrest, leading to a fight where Nelson was seen on surveillance video punching Sarey numerous times in the head and upper body. Nelson then drew his gun and shot Sarey in the torso.

After Sarey fell onto the pavement, Nelson tried to fire his gun again before it jammed. The video then shows Nelson clearing the round, racking another bullet and firing a second shot into Sarey’s head.

More background on the shooting of Jesse Sarey: Auburn officer found guilty of murdering Jesse Sarey years after his death

Sarey’s family The Associated Press (AP) he was the son of survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia and became homeless after aging out of foster care.

The case was the first of its kind in Washington as Nelson was the first officer to be charged with murder after the state’s law changed, no longer requiring prosecutors to prove an officer acted with malice in order to get a murder conviction. His case was also the first to be prosecuted under I-940, a police accountability measure passed in 2018.

“Today is making history in the state of Washington,” Sarey’s foster mother said to a crowd of Sarey supporters in August 2020. “The first police officer in 30 years has been arrested and charged.”

During the trial, which started May 2024, the prosecution claimed Sarey was not a threat and that he was unarmed, non-aggressive and never had control of the officer’s firearm or his knife. Prosecutor Calfo said Officer Nelson made a choice.

The defense argued Nelson was within his rights to act in self-defense.

“The issue here is whether Officer Nelson had the right to defend himself when Mr. Sarey grabbed for his firearm and ripped his knife off his uniform,” Nelson’s attorney Emma Scanlan told the jury.

Nelson’s history of using force

Prior to fatally shooting Sarey, Nelson killed Isaiah Obet in 2017. Obet was acting erratically, and Nelson ordered his police dog to attack, as reported by AP. He then shot Obet in the torso. Obet fell to the ground, and Nelson fired again, fatally shooting Obet in the head. Police said the officer’s life was in danger because Obet was high on drugs and had a knife. The city reached a settlement of $1.25 million with Obet’s family just days before Nelson was charged in Sarey’s death.

More on Officer Nelson’s trial: Auburn officer’s murder trial shook up after jurors allegedly break rule

In 2011, Nelson fatally shot Brian Scaman, a Vietnam War veteran with mental issues and a history of felonies, after pulling Scaman’s vehicle over for a burned-out headlight. According to AP, Scaman got out of his car with a knife and refused to drop it; Nelson shot him in the head. An inquest jury cleared Nelson of wrongdoing.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

Contributing: James Lynch and Luke Duecy, KIRO Newsradio; Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest; Martha Bellisle, The Associated Press

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest and producer of the Seattle Seahawks podcast, The Reset with Gee Scott. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.