Jake Evans is the Texas teenager who shot and killed his mother, Jami Evans, and his 15-year-old sister, Mallory Evans, inside their Parker County home in the early hours of October 4, 2012, then called 911 to confess. He was 17 at the time. In 2015 he pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and was sentenced to 45 years in prison, where he remains today.
What Happened the Night of the Murders
The killings took place at the Evans family’s home on River Creek Lane in Annetta South. Jake’s father was out of town. On the evening of October 3, 2012, Jami and Mallory were watching a presidential debate. Jake paced the house for more than an hour, armed with a .22 revolver he had stolen from his grandfather.1NBC News. Teen’s Confession: Horror Film Inspired Murder of Mom and Sister
He lured Mallory out of her room by telling her their mother wanted to see her, then shot her in the back as she emerged. She fled down the stairs screaming. He shot her again, and eventually shot her in the head. He then walked to the study and shot his mother three times. Back in his room, as he began emptying the revolver, he heard a noise suggesting Mallory was still alive. He reloaded, returned, and shot both victims again in the head to make sure they were dead.1NBC News. Teen’s Confession: Horror Film Inspired Murder of Mom and Sister Then he put the gun on a counter and called the police.
The 911 Call and Arrest
The Parker County Sheriff’s Office took the call at 12:34 a.m.2Parker County Sheriff’s Office. Double Murder It lasted more than 20 minutes. The dispatcher later described Evans’s voice as “eerily calm.”3NBC News. Teen Calls 911 to Report Mother, Sister Dead
Evans told the dispatcher he had been “planning on killing for a while now” and that when asked whether he had meant to kill his family or “just anybody,” he answered, “Pretty much anybody.” He said his family had been “suffocating” him and told the operator, “Obviously, I am pretty, I guess, evil.” He also expressed regret on the call, saying he hated the feeling of killing and asking whether there were medications that could prevent nightmares.4ABC News. Texas Teen Tells 911 It’s Weird to Kill Mother, Sister
When deputies arrived, Evans was outside with his hands up. He was arrested without incident and initially charged with capital murder.4ABC News. Texas Teen Tells 911 It’s Weird to Kill Mother, Sister
The Written Confession
Within hours of his arrest, Evans wrote a four-page confession that was later made public.5HuffPost. Jake Evans Confession In it, he cited the 2007 Rob Zombie remake of Halloween as his inspiration. He had watched the film three times in the week before the killings and wrote that he was “amazed at how at ease the boy was during the murders and how little remorse he had.” He chose the .22 revolver because he did not want his mother and sister to feel anything.1NBC News. Teen’s Confession: Horror Film Inspired Murder of Mom and Sister After watching the movie, he put the DVD back in its case and threw it in the trash “so that people wouldn’t think that it influenced me in any way.”
Evans wrote that his plan had been larger than what he carried out. After killing his mother and sister, he had intended to drive to his grandparents’ home and kill his oldest sister, Emily, and both grandparents. He abandoned that part of the plan after the killings, in what authorities described as a change of heart.6ABC News. Halloween Inspired Texas Teen to Kill Mom and Sister
He wrote that his family had become the kind of people he hated, describing them as “racists, bullies, and who are full of themselves.” He also wrote that after shooting them he ran to his room screaming “that I am really messed up,” and ended the confession with: “I know now though that I’m done with killing. It’s the most dreadful and terrifying thing I will ever experience. And what happened last night will haunt me forever.”1NBC News. Teen’s Confession: Horror Film Inspired Murder of Mom and Sister
Who the Victims Were
Jami Diane Evans was 48. She had worked as a teacher and assistant principal in the Aledo Independent School District from 1989 to 2004, and since January 2012 had been homeschooling her children. The district noted her “dedication to her students and her love of learning.”4ABC News. Texas Teen Tells 911 It’s Weird to Kill Mother, Sister
Mallory Anne Evans was 15 and in the ninth grade. She was a member of Holy Redeemer Catholic Parish in Aledo and enjoyed sports, singing, and dancing.7Legacy.com. Mallory Evans Obituary She was survived by her father, Darryl, and her sisters Emily and Audrey. A candlelight vigil was held at Bearcat Park the day after the killings.8CBS News. Vigil to Remember Double Murder Victims
Why There Was No Trial
The case was assigned to the 415th District Court in Parker County, with Judge Graham Quisenberry presiding. In September 2014, court-appointed defense attorney Larry Moore raised concerns about Evans’s competency, citing a report by forensic psychologist Dr. Stephen J. Karten, who concluded that Evans was “currently incompetent to stand trial.” The defense also filed notice of intent to raise an insanity defense.9NBC DFW. Teen Killer Not Competent for Trial, Attorney Says
The following month, Judge Quisenberry formally ruled Evans incompetent and ordered him to a state mental hospital for up to 120 days. Assistant District Attorney Robert DuBoise said at the time that Evans could still face capital murder charges if treatment restored his competency.10NBC DFW. Judge Finds Capital Murder Defendant Incompetent to Stand Trial Evans was sent to Rusk State Hospital, where he spent several months. His later attorney, Mac Smith, described Evans’s mental health issues as “significant enough that he couldn’t stand trial” but did not disclose specific diagnoses.11Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Parker County Teen Sentenced for Killing Mother and Sister
The Plea and 45-Year Sentence
On April 30, 2015, Evans, then 19, appeared in court after a competency evaluation filed earlier that week confirmed he had been restored to competency. He pleaded guilty to two counts of murder under a plea agreement in which prosecutors waived the capital murder charge.12NBC DFW. North Texas Teen Sentenced to Prison for Killing Family
Judge Quisenberry sentenced him to 45 years on each count, to run concurrently, with credit for roughly two and a half years already spent in jail and at Rusk State Hospital. Several factors shaped the deal, including uncertainty about the constitutionality of existing Texas sentencing options for minors convicted of capital murder, Evans’s lack of any prior criminal history, and the wishes of the family.11Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Parker County Teen Sentenced for Killing Mother and Sister
At the hearing, Smith read a letter from the Evans family into the record. Signed by several relatives, the letter called 45 years a “fair plea bargain under all circumstances” and said, “None of us want Jake and our family to be subjected to a capital murder trial, which we feel would not be in his and our family’s best interest. We wish to close this chapter of our lives in order to continue healing as a family.” The family said they would have supported a lesser sentence.11Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Parker County Teen Sentenced for Killing Mother and Sister
Where Jake Evans Is Now
Evans is incarcerated at the Memorial Unit, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility, under TDCJ number 01997058. He has not yet been reviewed for parole. His earliest parole eligibility date is April 5, 2035, about 22 and a half years after the murders. If he serves the full sentence, his release date would be October 4, 2057.13Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Inmate Detail – Jacob Ryan Evans