‘Selfless' Police Officer Stopped to Help a Stranded Motorist, Then Wound Up Dead — as Killer Learns Fate

A man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for shooting and killing a New Mexico state police officer who stopped to help him fix a flat tire. 

The sentence for Jaremy Smith came from an agreement he made with prosecutors earlier this year, court documents obtained by PEOPLE reveal. 

He pleaded guilty to charges that included kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland opted to not pursue the death penalty against Smith in August 2024, according to a sentencing memorandum. 

New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare was dispatched to U.S. Interstate 40 on March 15, 2024, near the town of Tucumcari, when police received reports of a car parked on the highway’s shoulder, with a person trying to flag other cars down, court documents said. 

At around 5 a.m., Hare arrived on scene and pulled up behind Smith’s white BMW, activating the lights on his patrol car. Smith then approached his car, asking the officer for help because he had a flat tire, a sentencing memorandum said. 

Officer Hare agreed to take Smith into town, since there were no shops open at that time, court documents said. When Hare instructed Smith to come over to the front of his car, Smith shot him in the forehead and then twice more on the left side of his neck and his left cheek. 

Smith then moved Hare over enough so he could gain control of the vehicle and drive his patrol car. Court documents showed that Hare was alive and gasping for air when Smith kidnapped him in his own car.

Court documents outlined that Smith drove the patrol car for less than five minutes before he stopped, removed Hare from the vehicle, deposited him on the dirt and drove off. 

Due to a duress signal that was activated, law enforcement officers found Hare on the ground and attempted to administer aid, but Hare was pronounced dead at a local hospital. 

Authorities said Smith then fled on foot, stole a flatbed truck and drove to Albuquerque.

According to a sentencing memorandum, Smith was captured after he entered a gas station in Albuquerque where a store clerk recognized Smith from the spelling of his name on his ID and photo which had been circulating in the media. He was apprehended shortly after he tried fleeing on foot.  

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“Jaremy Smith’s violent crime spree left a trail of destruction across state lines, endangering the lives of both the public and first responders,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellsion said in a statement.

“Today’s sentence serves as a powerful reminder that violence against those who serve and protect the public will not be tolerated. Officer Justin Hare, a hero who saw someone in need and selflessly stepped in to help, paid the ultimate price.”

Just days before Hare’s murder, prosecutors say Smith murdered another person, a 52-year-old woman working as a paramedic in South Carolina. The woman, identified as Jane Doe in court documents, was found shot execution-style in a secluded field near the town of Nichols.

Smith faces state-level charges in South Carolina for the woman’s murder, NBC News reports.