Nevada Cop Pleads Guilty to Death Threats After Making 'Hit List' Over Brother's Suicide
Las Vegas officer Jason De La Garrigue admitted to aggravated stalking after threatening victims he blamed for his brother's suicide. Sentencing is set for Jan. 11.
Las Vegas Officer Admits to 'Death List' Threats Tied to Brother's Suicide
A Las Vegas police officer pleaded guilty to aggravated stalking after creating a "hit list" and directing "repeated, escalating death threats" at people he held responsible for his brother's death by suicide, Law & Crime reports.
Jason De La Garrigue, 48, was an officer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department until he was arrested and subsequently left the agency. Court records confirm the guilty plea to aggravated stalking.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by local CBS affiliate KLAS and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the investigation was opened in April after the Southern Nevada Counter Terrorism Center received a complaint about De La Garrigue's threats.
One victim told investigators that De La Garrigue called him dozens of times and stated the victim was "number two" on his "death list." De La Garrigue also told a victim he had "all of the murders mapped out."
In a text message to a victim, De La Garrigue reportedly wrote "I am going to smoke you" and attached a photo of an AR-15 alongside loaded magazines.
Victim Eric Taylor spoke with the Review-Journal and described the calls as "horrible," noting he had no prior connection to De La Garrigue's brother. "He'd call us at 1, 2, 3 o'clock in the morning," Taylor told the newspaper. "And he'd disguise his voice, wouldn't tell us who he was and then he'd threaten us, threaten our lives."
Defense attorney David Roger told the court that De La Garrigue's brother had been sexually abused as a child and targeted because he was gay. Roger said his client made the calls while under the influence of alcohol on April 9, contacting those he blamed for his brother's death as well as their relatives. De La Garrigue has since undergone treatment for alcohol abuse and mental health issues.
"He never left his house, he never acted on these threats and at the end of the evening, he sent out apologies to these individuals," Roger told the Review-Journal.
A judge is scheduled to sentence De La Garrigue on Jan. 11.
Source: Law & Crime