Apr. 21—The mother of slain New Mexico State Police officer Justin Hare said the life sentence handed down for their son’s killer on Monday ends a year-long “rollercoaster ride” for her and other family members.
U.S. District Judge James O. Browning on Monday handed down a sentence of life in prison for Jaremy Smith, 34, in 35-year-old Hare’s early-morning shooting death on March 15, 2024, on a desolate stretch of Interstate 40 near Tucumcari.
“For me, it has brought some closure to this,” Hare’s mother, Terry Hare, said after Smith’s sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque.
“I mean, there’s a lot to go,” she said. “But as far as putting Justin to rest, this helped with that.”
Both she and her husband, James Hare, said they wanted Smith put to death for killing their son, stealing his police SUV and leaving the officer to die on the roadside.
A dash-camera video of the fatal encounter shows that Smith approached Hare on the shoulder of I-40 and asked: “I have a a flat tire. Can you help me?”
Hare replied: “OK. I can get you back to town real quick. But nobody’s open tonight,” according to a sentencing memorandum filed in U.S. District Court.
Moments later, Smith fired a single gunshot that struck Hare in the forehead, according to the memorandum. Smith fired two more gunshots that struck Hare in the neck and face, then drove away in Hare’s SUV with the officer seated beside him, it said.
James Hare said he still feels “extreme anger” about the circumstances his son’s killing.
“I’ve mentioned to (Smith) that I’d like to see him put to death,” James Hare said, repeating his comments at Smith’s sentencing hearing. ” That’s my stand on it, and I haven’t come to grips with forgiving him yet.”
Smith pleaded guilty in January to carjacking resulting in death, using a firearm in a crime of violence, kidnapping resulting in death, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm.
The plea deal offered to Smith by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Albuquerque removed the death penalty as an option and limited his sentence to life in prison.
“Death would have been better, yes,” Terry Hare said. “But at least with life, he’s not out there hurting anybody else.”
Smith’s attorneys said in court filings that Smith feels remorse for his actions in Hare’s killing and explained that Smith often had a “big grin” at hearings that may be a nervous response.
“It is unclear to counsel at this point if Mr. Smith’s grinning is a nervous response to stressful situations or representative of an ongoing mental health ailment,” attorneys with the federal public defenders wrote. “What is clear, however, is that Mr. Smith is extremely remorseful over his actions surrounding (Hare’s) death.”
The death penalty remains an option in South Carolina where Smith faces possible state and federal charges in the kidnapping and death of paramedic Phonesia Machado-Fore, 52.
Authorities say Smith killed Machado-Fore and took her BMW cross-country to see a former girlfriend in Albuquerque, ending with the flat tire near Tucumcari. After killing Hare, stealing his police SUV and crashing it, Smith broke into a cabin and stole a truck to drive to Albuquerque.
Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputies shot Smith the next day during a foot chase through a West Side neighborhood. Several law enforcement leaders issued statements Monday following the sentencing hearing.
“Jaremy Smith’s violent crime spree left a trail of destruction across state lines, endangering the lives of both the public and first responders,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison. “Today’s sentence serves as a powerful reminder that violence against those who serve and protect the public will not be tolerated.”
“Every day, first responders answer the call to protect others — often at great personal risk. The loss of Officer Hare is a heartbreaking reminder of that reality,” said Raul Bujanda Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office.
“Jaremy Smith, in a cruel and calculated act of evil, ambushed Officer Justin Hare, executing him and leaving him to die alone in the cold after stealing his patrol vehicle,” said Chief Troy Weisler of the New Mexico State Police. “With today’s sentencing, the court has sent a clear and unwavering message: anyone who harms those who protect and serve will face the full and unrelenting weight of justice.”
Justin Hare’s parents and other family members spoke Monday about the long ordeal they have experienced since Justin Hare was fatally shot after stopping to help a motorist with a flat tire.
For Terry Hare, the past year has been a recurring nightmare of repeatedly watching the police video of their son’s death as the case has played out in U.S. District Court.
“Every time we come here, we’re having to relive that video that we watched, watching Justin offer to take Smith to Tucumcari and hearing that first pop,” Terry Hare said. “The video of watching (Smith) stand over Justin’s body” and fire two more shots, she said.