An Owatonna man, Jesus Parra Pitre, was sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison after being convicted of the attempted murder of his estranged wife. According to a news release from the Rice County Attorney's Office, the sentence was handed down last month by Judge Karie M. Anderson. Parra Pitre had previously evaded the authorities by fleeing to Panama, where he was eventually detained and extradited back to the United States with the cooperation of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Marshals Service.
In the November 2024 incident that led to his arrest and conviction, Parra Pitre lured his then-wife to a park in Faribault, where an initial argument escalated violently. He proceeded to shoot at his wife's legs and later struck her with the firearm across her head and face. The victim managed to escape and call for help despite Parra Pitre's attempts to continue the pursuit and his threats to end both of their lives. A forensic examination of Parra Pitre's abandoned vehicle revealed disturbing evidence, including a substantial amount of blood and a search history with queries that now seem almost to prophesize his own legal predicament.
At his sentencing, the victim delivered an emotional impact statement. "the assault continues to affect her nearly a year after it occurred," she shared, focusing on the strength her faith provided in the aftermath of the harrowing experience. Parra Pitre, who had pleaded guilty to attempted murder in August, received a 153-month prison sentence on Sept. 16.
Rice County Attorney Brian Mortenson highlighted the irony in Parra Pitre's careful but ultimately futile planning. "Mr. Parra Pitre asked Google, 'What happens if a murderer goes to a country that does not have extradition? How do you capture him?'," Mortenson said, as reported by the Rice County Attorney's Office. "And Rice County answered that question for him: we found him, we extradited him back from Panama, we prosecuted him, and he was sent to prison."
