A Lake Havasu man was acquitted Thursday of attempted murder, but faces a minimum sentence of 18 months in prison after a Mojave County jury found him guilty of a lesser charge of disorderly conduct with a weapon. There is a possibility that it will be handed down.
Jason J. Fontes, 44, went on trial last week on charges including attempted domestic violence murder, aggravated assault, child abuse and disorderly conduct with a weapon. After several hours of deliberation, Fontes' jury reached a verdict of “not guilty” on all charges except disorderly conduct, Mohave County Deputy Public Defender Paul Ammann said.
“The jury does not believe the government presented sufficient evidence to find that (Mr. Fontes) attempted to kill or threatened to kill his then-girlfriend,'' Ammann said. Stated.
The jury foreman was a Mohave County victim advocate and leader of a local neighborhood watch organization, Amann said.
The incident began on Oct. 20, 2022, when Fontes allegedly got into an argument with the victim at his home in the 1100 block of Catalina Drive. Police initially said Fontes put a gun to the victim's head during an argument. The victim reportedly ducked under the gun as it fired.
According to police and prosecutors, the victim's 10-year-old son was hiding in the bedroom during the incident.
Fontes allegedly fled the scene of the shooting while the victim contacted emergency dispatchers. Officers eventually found Fontes at an address on Solar Drive two days after the incident.
Aman said if Fontes had been convicted on all charges, the defendant could have received up to 90.75 years in prison. Instead, he now faces a presumptive sentence of 2.25 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of three years.
Fontes' sentencing is currently scheduled for April 1 in Mojave Superior Court.
Until last month, Fontes remained free on $60,000 bail. Fontes was booked into the Mohave County Jail Thursday after being found guilty of disorderly conduct with a weapon. He remained at the facility as of Monday morning.
