Martinez, Calif. – Last week, a Contra Costa County jury found defendant Jason Laughlin of Concord guilty of three misdemeanors, including making criminal threats and stalking the victim Jane Doe. During a 42-day period earlier this year, Laughlin called the victim over 1,300 times, left over 1,000 menacing voicemails and threatened to kill her. The case was investigated by the Walnut Creek Police Department.
Laughlin was sentenced to two years in county jail by the Honorable Nancy Stark. Judge Stark also ordered a ten-year criminal protective order for the victim and her immediate family. Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Kyle McCauley prosecuted the case on behalf of the People. The case originated in the Office’s Central Eastern Operations Division.
The facts of this case and the resulting sentence illustrates the very real danger that domestic abuse and stalking can have on people outside of the actual relationship, including their children, family members, and co-workers.
On March 16, 2019, Laughlin began calling the victim repeatedly at all hours of the day and night. Laughlin shared a child with the victim and knew where she lived and where she worked. As the victim described the threats at trial, she felt like a “sitting duck.” Laughlin not only called the victim’s personal cell phone but called her personal work phone, her work’s main office line, and her co-workers. The calls included menacing death threats and told the victim to “just wait.”
The calls became so frequent and threatening that the company she worked for implemented a locked front door policy even during business hours. The victim told the police, “something will happen, it is just a matter of time.”
“The conviction sends a strong message that domestic abuse is intolerable and will be punished to the fullest extent of the law, misdemeanors and felonies alike. The District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement agencies of the County are committed to ensuring the safety of victims, their families, and anyone else that domestic abuse affects,” stated DDA McCauley.
The misdemeanor counts against Laughlin for his verdict:
- Count 1, Stalking
- Count 2, Criminal Threats
- Count 3, Annoying Phone Calls
Case information: People v. Jason Laughlin, Docket Number 01-189826-1
25 comments
How scary.
Since when a deaths threats misdemeanors? Something is screwy with this story!
I would first inform the police to start a trail. Then immediately changed my phone number and urged my relatives to do the same while leaving the area for parts unknown. Only my lawyers would know where I am.
Made sure my weapons were in good working order and some were upgraded. Of course, I’d quit the job.
If I were in this situation, that’s exactly what I would do. Just like I would were I to win the lottery (which I won’t because I don’t play it). The guy committed a felony and even incarceration won’t change him. This is very, very serious! He is, as one says, Bat Shit Crazy! He has to be dealt with differently.
If it were me, only one threatening call would get through to me!
I don’t know if this is an option if you have a kid together, but I’d change my name and move out of state. This guy will get out even angrier, and he’ll always be a threat.
You bet she’d have that option! He was threatening the mother of that child with death! Were they divorced? Did he have visitation rights? I would also make sure that I had a Beretta 92fs or m9 with me AT ALL TIMES! When he gets out — and 2 years is nothing in terms of punishment — there is no way that he should ever get near her. Name change is an important option.
So, Nick? She should just sit and wait for him to kill her as he has threatened? Kid or no kid together, I’d get the hell out of Dodge and fast. The fact that she let him reach her with 1300 calls is totally insane! He should have been hunted down after the first call and taken care of. These type of psychos will never leave you alone and you have to be proactive if you want to remain above the sod! Get my drift yet?
Nick! This situation will have to be resolved and doing prison time will not stop him. The woman has plenty of witnesses to the death threats: Her family members, her relatives, coworkers, etc. The 10 year criminal protective orders are a joke just like restraining orders are a joke. They don’t work with psychotics. There is only one way to resolve this.
Calm down people. I’m on her side 100 PERCENT. The reason I said “I don’t know if this is an option” as far as having a kid with him is because I’m happily married, our kids are grown and I have no idea what the laws are in CA if you have children together, and you’re not together. You know – divorce, visitation rights, etc. I know not all couples are together. If she changes her name and he has visitation rights, changing your name is useless. If he has no rights or has lost his rights, she should change her name and move out of state. Tell no one where you’re at – except your attorney.
Nick, people have been know to “disappear” off the face-of-the-earth thanks to federal witness protection programs and this includes women with children whose fathers may-or-my-not have had visitation rights. This is a life-and-death situation and she’s dealing with a complete psycho. In such cases, you don’t just stop and think “well, I share a child with him, so that gives him right” NOT if she’s been threatened with death and has witnesses to it.
There are also witness protection programs where the people are sent out of the country. They are not just moved to another state. As long as this monster is alive, she will have no rest nor security. If I were in that predicament, I know exactly what I’d do.
Nick, I don’t think I’d be very worried about CA laws if someone where threatening to kill me. I’d be long gone from the state where no one can find me.
CA laws wouldn’t even enter my mind in a situation like this. You got it, Loretta!
She is dealing with a complete psycho. I’ve never been in this situation, but I know people who have. If he has custody rights, and she violates them – she can lose custody, face jail time and end up with his attorneys fees. It happens. Just what she needs after all this crap. I’d leave the country, and go to Canada. If he has rights, I’d work on getting his rights revoked while he’s in jail – effective immediately. I’d be scared to death.
I would head for PARAGUAY with the kid!
There’s only one way to deal with a psychotic who is threatening someone with death!
Since when does a psycho accept a termination of his rights? Actually, that will even make him angrier and pretty much guarantee he will get to her and make good on his deadly threats. Unless some really drastic measures are taken, he will never leave her alone.
I had a friend who wound up in a similar situation. Then some extremely wealthy people living in the middle of a 6,000 heavily-guarded ranch, heard about her plight and took her and her two children in where they gave her a job, a guest house to live in and time for her to “home school” her children. If she wanted to go into the nearest city, her patrons provided her with security. She also changed her appearance.
I always spent my half an hour to read this webpage’s
posts every day along with a cup of coffee.
Letting someone terrorize me for 42 days would never happen. I’m surprised her employer kept her on as this presented a grave danger to her and the other employees. There are a lot of nutcases around these days who have no qualms shooting up places of business.
According to a comment the victim left on another news site, this went on for 5 years. She thanked CPD and WCPD for doing all they could.
She’s been putting up with this craziness for five years? Something here just doesn’t add up. I wouldn’t put up with this for five minutes!
I would have made this guy an offer he could not refuse!
Two years in the county jail is ridiculous! What was the judge thinking? I’d say 20 years in prison would be what I’d sentence him to.
I’m sorry but for this lady all she was doing was putting her family in deeper danger than ever and not realizing that her ex is really nuts. After the first phone call or even when they were together she should have known something was up long time ago. She either liked the attention she was getting or something because if I was even in this situation my ex wouldn’t be breathing because I had to protect my kid or kids from a monster no matter what that’s the number one goal for a mother is protecting my kids at all cost. Take matters in ur own hands to protect ur family. Courts the law it doesn’t do shit for u and sometimes it’s what u have to do when monster’s come around. The law only protects the law and not innocence. Eye for an eye always protect ur family and urself. U are the only one that u can rely on no one else can protect u better than urself.
If something like this went on for 5 years and then got even worse? First, I would never let it get this far and, second, the culprit would no longer be above-the-sod continuing the harassment. No jury would ever convict someone who did away with a psychotic who has threatened with death so many people.
Let’s face it, there is nothing indicating that the police will protect you or that’s their duty. You have to protect yourself and your children any way you can and that includes taking some drastic steps. The police are, for the most part, a reporting agency.
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