A Coos County judge on Friday sentenced 46-year-old Reina Jackson to life in prison, ruling she must serve at least 25 years before she can be considered for parole, after a jury convicted her of second-degree murder in the 2021 killing of her ex-husband, Dr. Craig Jackson. The decision capped a three-week trial that prosecutors argued revealed a planned attack and has kept much of the South Coast watching closely.
Sentence and official reaction
Prosecutors told jurors that Jackson shot Dr. Jackson first in the rectum and then in the head, describing the killing as “brutal and calculated.” Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, in a statement quoted by KOIN, said the victim’s family was owed justice and that the life sentence reflects the severity of the crime.
Case background and arrest
Dr. Craig Jackson was found dead at his North Bend home on Aug. 2, 2021; he practiced medicine at Bay Clinic in nearby Coos Bay. Authorities say his ex-wife left the area and later fled to Guatemala. According to reporting by NBC16, U.S. Marshals arrested her in Atlanta in June 2023, and she was extradited to Coos County to face the indictment.
Evidence prosecutors relied on
During trial, prosecutors presented court records and testimony indicating police found a hand-drawn map of the doctor’s home in Jackson’s vehicle. They also introduced DNA evidence that investigators say is tied to two unidentified men believed to have accompanied her, along with allegations that Jackson forged a $40,000 check to buy land in Guatemala. Those details appeared in filings and testimony described by KOIN. After three weeks of testimony and forensic evidence, jurors returned a guilty verdict on second-degree murder.
Legal notes
Under Oregon law, a second-degree murder conviction carries an indeterminate life sentence, with a statutory minimum period that must be served before any parole consideration. The judge followed that framework at sentencing. The statute, ORS 163.115, and its parole-eligibility provisions are set out on legal reference sites such as Justia.
What’s next
Local investigators say they are still pursuing leads related to the two unidentified men prosecutors believe were involved, and the district attorney’s office has said public comments will remain limited while that follow-up continues. Defense attorneys typically may file post-trial motions and appeals, and officials have not given a timetable for any such filings, according to earlier local reporting by KPTV.
