It was late. October 4, 2012, to be exact. The kind of Texas night where the air finally starts to cool down, and most folks in the gated community of Annetta South, just outside of Aledo, were already fast asleep. Then the 911 call came in.
"I just killed my mom and my sister."
The voice on the other end wasn't screaming. It wasn't hysterical. It was 17-year-old Jake Evans Aledo Texas, and he sounded almost bored. He sounded like someone describing a trip to the grocery store, not the double homicide of the two people who likely loved him most in the world.
The Quiet Kid from River Creek Lane
Aledo is the kind of place where people move to escape the "big city" problems of Fort Worth. It's known for powerhouse high school football and sprawling ranch-style homes. Jake Evans didn't fit the profile of a killer. He was a golfer. He was homeschooled. Neighbors and former classmates at Aledo High described him as "shy," "kind," and "humble."
But inside that upscale home on River Creek Lane, something was rotting.
Honestly, the details of what happened that night are still hard to stomach. Jake used a .22 revolver he'd stolen from his grandfather. He knocked on his 15-year-old sister Mallory’s door, told her their mom wanted her, and then shot her as she stepped out. He went downstairs and killed his mother, Jami, a well-loved former assistant principal.
Then he went back to Mallory.
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He realized she was still alive. In his own written confession, he described how he "shouted that he was sorry" before shooting her again. He did the same to his mother. He wanted to make sure they were dead.
The "Halloween" Connection and the Confession
A few months after the murders, a four-page handwritten confession was released. This is where things get truly weird. Jake didn't point to a big fight or a drug problem. Instead, he talked about the 2007 remake of the movie Halloween.
He’d watched it three times that week.
He wrote about how he was "amazed at how at ease" the killer, Michael Myers, was during the murders. He thought it would be the same for him. He figured if he killed his family, he wouldn't feel the "suffocation" he felt living with them.
He was wrong.
"I know now though that I'm done with killing," he wrote at the end of that statement. "It's the most dreadful and terrifying thing I will ever experience."
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Why Jake Evans Aledo Texas Isn't Serving Life Without Parole
If you're wondering why a guy who admitted to cold-blooded double murder isn't locked away forever without a prayer of getting out, you have to look at the timing of the Supreme Court.
When Jake was arrested, he was 17. At the time, Texas law for capital murder only had two options: the death penalty or life without parole. But the Supreme Court had recently ruled that you couldn't give the death penalty to minors (Roper v. Simmons) and was in the middle of deciding that mandatory life without parole for juveniles was unconstitutional (Miller v. Alabama).
The Texas legislature was scrambling.
Because of the legal "gray area" regarding 17-year-olds at the time, prosecutors ended up taking a plea deal. On April 30, 2015, Jake Evans pleaded guilty to two counts of murder.
The sentence? 45 years for each count, served concurrently.
Where is Jake Evans Now?
As of early 2026, Jake Evans Aledo Texas is still serving his time in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) system. He's currently 30 years old.
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According to TDCJ records, he's being held at the Memorial Unit. His parole eligibility date is set for April 5, 2035. That might feel soon to some, but it’s based on the Texas rule that he must serve at least half of his sentence before he can even be considered for release.
His projected release date—if he never gets parole—is October 4, 2057.
The Family's Choice to Forgive
One of the most polarizing parts of this whole story is the Evans family. Jake’s father, Darryl, was out of town on business during the murders. He, along with other family members, actually supported the plea deal.
They didn't want a trial. They didn't want to relive the trauma in a courtroom for weeks.
In a letter read during the sentencing, the family stated they had forgiven Jake. It’s a level of grace that most people can't even wrap their heads around. They wanted to "close the chapter" and try to heal.
What We Can Learn From the Case
The Jake Evans story is often used by psychologists to discuss "family annihilation" and the influence of media on unstable minds. It’s a reminder that:
- Mental health isn't always visible. Jake had no history of violence or outbursts before that night.
- The "loner" trope can be dangerous. While being quiet doesn't make someone a killer, the lack of an emotional outlet can lead to a pressure-cooker environment.
- Legal precedents matter. The shift in how we treat juvenile offenders changed the course of Jake's life and his eventual release date.
If you're following this case, the next major milestone won't be for nearly another decade. Until 2035, Jake Evans will remain behind bars, a somber fixture in the history of North Texas true crime.
For those looking to understand the complexities of the Texas legal system regarding juveniles, researching the Miller v. Alabama impact on state sentencing guidelines provides the necessary context for why this case ended the way it did.