The Humboldt County District Attorney’s office today announced an offer to Jake Combs, who is being retried for murder after an appeals court overturned his 2023 conviction.

During pretrial arrangements, prosecutor Whitney Timm announced that in exchange for dropping a 2025 drug charge, the office would agree to a deal.

Under this proposed offer, 34-year-old Combs would plead guilty to first degree murder, alongside a weapons enhancement, for a sentence of 50 years to life.

This is quite similar to his since-overturned sentence.

Combs was sentenced in 2023 to 50 years to life in prison for first degree murder for killing 25-year-old Trevor John Earley of Alderpoint. He was also convicted of the weapons enhancement.

Combs in 2022. File photo.

This conviction was overturned in 2025, when an appeals court found the court erred in admitting certain evidence about Combs allegedly attacking an inmate showed to jurors during the trial.

Since then, Combs was accused of possessing six grams of methamphetamine in jail in August 2025, shortly after being transferred from Calipatria State Prison to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for retrial, according to court records.

Under the deal, this drug charge would be dropped.

Timm pointed to Comb’s testifying on his remorse before offering this deal on the record. According to reporting from the Times-Standard, before being sentenced in 2023 he apologized to the victim’s family, though they had left the courtroom en masse before he spoke.

Combs deliberated with his attorneys, co-counsels Ryan McClurg and Emery Welton from the Public Defender’s office, after the Timm announced the deal on the record.

But the court continued forward with preparations for a jury trial Monday afternoon. Attorneys debated including — or excluding — particular pieces of evidence in the trial.

They hashed out whether comments on feelings towards animals should be excluded, if it was fair game to include a statement he made to other inmates that he “domed some n____r and they’re trying to give me 50 to life,” whether evidence from an alleged assault one year ago on an inmate could be included (to be used when jurors are evaluating the verity of Comb’s statements, as he’s expected to take to the stand again), etc. One medical professional who testified is no longer fit to serve as a witness.

Welton pointed out, while debating whether to include Combs’ early statements to law enforcement, the defendant had previously confessed on the stand. The trial aims to hone in on the man’s intent and premeditation.

Judge Kaleb Cockrum noted the case was serious, while going over housekeeping details.

Jury selection is set to begin Tuesday. Attorneys estimated the trial will take three weeks.

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