Last Thursday, Jake Combs was convicted of murder by a jury after about a day of deliberations, according to court records.

The 34-year-old man was found guilty of first degree murder of Trevor John Earley by the 12-person jury, in the second time the case has been tried in the Humboldt County Superior Court.

Combs was last convicted in 2023 for the murder of Earley whom he shot in the head following a dispute in which Combs’ dog bit Earley in the face. 

In 2023, Combs was sentenced to 50-years-to-life, and he was serving time in Calipatria State Prison when this conviction was overturned. 

An appeals court found issue with certain evidence the judge allowed to be heard during the trial, so the case was tried again. 

During a 14-day trial this month, prosecutor Deputy District Attorney Whitney Timm aimed to show the murder was premeditated.

Meanwhile, co-defense attorneys Deputy Public Defenders Ryan McClurg and Emery Welton pressed for manslaughter. According to reporting from the Eureka Times-Standard, Combs again took the stand during this case and said he feared for his dog’s life after the dog bit Earley in the face.

Court records indicate the jury sought to review a key witness’s testimony and Combs’ testimony Thursday. Still, deliberations only lasted about a day.

Combs, who was also convicted of a weapon enhancement, is set to be sentenced July 31.

The District Attorney’s Office offered a plea deal before the jury was selected, but Comb’s attorney’s did not move to accept the deal before it timed out, according to court records. He additionally faces a drug possession charge.

Woman charged with murder for 19-month-old’s death

Last week, the Eureka Police Department announced a multi-year investigation into 32-year-old Nichole Ann Thorpe, who allegedly concealed the death of her child for an extended period of time, fraudulently collected welfare for the dead 19-month-old for two years, and now faces murder charges.

Investigators found human remains in a remote area near Blue Lake on December 4, 2023, and DNA testing later confirmed the remains belonged to the missing child, according to EPD. An arrest warrant for the toddler’s mother was issued over two years later, on April 9, 2026, “Following an extensive investigation.”

According to court records, law enforcement believe the toddler was 19 months old when she died in March 2022. The child is identified as CarmenEve Faith Robinson.

Family members told police they had not seen the child for a long time and believed she could be dead, according to EPD.

Thorpe was charged April 7 in Humboldt County with murder, felony child abuse (with an enhancement for the child’s age), and two years of welfare fraud tied to the child totaling $18,636.30.

According to jail records, Thorpe has been incarcerated since April 29 at Jay County, Indiana’s jail. She is listed as a resident of Albany, Ind.

EPD worked with the U.S. Marshall’s Office and Indiana police agencies to locate and arrest Thorpe, who awaits extradition to Humboldt County. EPD asks those with information on the case to contact Detective Sergeant Cory Crnich at (707) 441- 4300.

School threats suspect Daryl Ray Jones files mental health petition

School threats suspect Daryl Ray Jones, who faces 32 felony charges for a series of heinous phone calls that targeted schools, day cares and businesses across Humboldt County, again filed a mental health petition in court last week.

His attorney, Meagan O’Connell from the Conflict Counsel’s office, previously declared a doubt to his mental competence, but last July the court found he was mentally competent based on a physician’s report and restarted proceedings, according to court records.

Jones was held to answer to the numerous charges levied against him in March. His next hearing, during which court records indicate the petition will be discussed, is scheduled for May 28.