The Case of the Evans Family Murders

Jami Evans, 48, and her daughter Mallory, 15, were shot and killed by Jami's 17-year-old son, Jacob "Jake" Ryan Evans, at their home in Annetta South, Texas, on 4 October 2012. Evans later said the 2007 remake of Halloween had influenced his plans to kill his family. He pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in 2015 and received concurrent 45-year sentences.

Jami Evans was a former teacher and assistant principal in the Aledo Independent School District. She had homeschooled Jake and Mallory since January 2012. Mallory, 15, was also being homeschooled at the time of her death. Jake was 17 when he killed his mother and younger sister. In a statement to police, he said he had watched Rob Zombie's 2007 remake of Halloween three times in one week and became fascinated by the apparent lack of remorse shown by the young Michael Myers. He said he began thinking that he could similarly kill his own family. On the night of 3 October, Jake was at home with Jami and Mallory while his father was away on a business trip. He retrieved a .22-calibre revolver that he had taken from his grandfather and began considering how to carry out the killings.

Jake shot Mallory and Jami multiple times inside the family home. According to his later statement, he initially shot Mallory and then discovered that she was still alive, returning to shoot her again. He also returned to his mother and shot her again after initially believing she was dead. The bodies were discovered by deputies after Jake called 911 shortly after midnight and reported that he had killed his mother and sister. The murder weapon, a .22-calibre revolver, was recovered from the home.

Jake called the Parker County 911 centre and remained on the telephone with the dispatcher for approximately 20 minutes while deputies travelled to the home. He calmly described the shootings and said he had been planning to kill someone for some time. He then surrendered peacefully when officers arrived. During his subsequent police statement, Jake described his decision to kill Jami and Mallory and acknowledged that he had been influenced by Halloween. He also revealed that he had considered killing additional family members, including his grandparents and older sisters, but abandoned those plans after killing his mother and sister. Jake was initially charged with capital murder as well as individual murder counts. His case was delayed after he was found incompetent to stand trial and ordered to a state mental hospital. He was later restored to competency in April 2015.

On 30 April 2015, Jacob "Jake" Ryan Evans pleaded guilty to two counts of murder as part of a plea agreement. The capital murder charge was waived. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison on each murder count, to run concurrently. He became eligible for parole after serving half of the sentence, with credit for the approximately 2½ years he had already spent in custody.

The case attracted widespread attention because of Jake's unusually calm 911 call and his later admission that the Halloween remake had influenced his thinking before the murders. His family supported the plea agreement, saying they wanted to avoid a capital murder trial and begin healing.