Executive Summary
- Mary Jo Jacobo sentenced to 7 years, 10 months for mistreatment and robbery.
- Defendant fled the scene while her 2-year-old daughter was in cardiac arrest to avoid an arrest warrant.
- Jacobo also pleaded guilty to the armed carjacking of a delivery driver committed two weeks later.
- The toddler’s cause of death was ruled "undetermined" despite drugs found at the scene.
PORTLAND, Ore. – A Portland woman was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in prison on Thursday following a negotiated plea agreement involving the abandonment of her dying daughter and a subsequent armed carjacking.
Mary Jo Jacobo, 27, pleaded guilty in Multnomah County Circuit Court to first-degree criminal mistreatment and second-degree robbery. The sentencing resolves multiple criminal cases, including the incident on September 12, 2024, when Jacobo fled her residence while her 2-year-old daughter, Aurora Fernandez, was in cardiac arrest.
According to Deputy District Attorney Branden J. Meadows, police initially investigated the toddler’s death as a potential fentanyl poisoning. Although investigators located pills and a loaded syringe containing a fentanyl-methamphetamine mixture in the room, toxicology reports showed no evidence of a drug overdose. The medical examiner officially listed the cause of death as "undetermined."
Prosecutors stated that Jacobo fled the Northeast Portland RV park to avoid an active arrest warrant after a friend in the home heard her screaming. The friend called 911 and performed CPR until firefighters arrived, but the child was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Multnomah County Circuit Judge Heidi H. Moawad remarked that the child’s loss of consciousness went unattended for an extended period because Jacobo was not supervising her.
Defense attorney Robert C. Crow stated in court that Jacobo did not intend to cause her daughter’s death and suffers from significant guilt. Crow noted that it was unclear whether Jacobo fled due to the warrant or fear, but acknowledged that she "didn’t handle it well."
The sentence also addresses a carjacking committed two weeks later on September 26, 2024. According to the victim’s family, Jacobo and an accomplice, Jesse James West, ambushed Tyler Nuss, a food delivery driver, at the Delta Park/Vanport transit center. Nuss was struck in the head with a rifle before the pair stole his Toyota Camry. West was sentenced separately to 20 years in prison for his role in the crime and a subsequent shootout with police.
Judge Moawad accepted the plea deal, which included time for a 2023 incident where Jacobo fled police in a stolen U-Haul truck. The judge urged Jacobo to use her time in state prison to address her trauma and the harm caused to others.
Judicial Resolution and Sentencing Standards
The sentencing represents a consolidation of serious felony charges ranging from negligence to violent robbery, utilizing a plea agreement to secure a conviction in the absence of a definitive cause of death for the victim. By resolving these matters through a negotiated plea, the court balances the need for public safety with the penal guidelines regarding criminal mistreatment and robbery. While the judicial process ensures that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty, this presumption is rebutted upon the entry and acceptance of a guilty plea, shifting the focus to rehabilitation and incarceration protocols.
