NEWPORT, Wash. — Riley Hillestad has been sentenced to 18 years and 3 months with 36 months of supervision after being found guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and other charges in relation to Jason Fox’s murder.
Jason Fox was found dead in a remote area near Newport, Wash. in October 2020. Court documents say Fox’s body was found buried in a shallow grave three to four feet underground with his hands tied behind his back.
One of the people involved in Fox's murder, Claude Merritt, was sentenced to nearly 28 years for his involvement.
Hillestad’s sentence comes after testimony from both the Fox and Hillestad families.
Michael Fox, Jason Fox’s father, called Riley a schoolyard bully, a psychopath and a murderer. Michael Fox also called out Hillestad's behavior during the trial, saying his carefree behavior shows he doesn't care about what he did. As a reference, Riley would wink, wave and smile at the Fox family during the trial.
Michael Fox also said Hillestad's parents "could not care less that his son is a murderer."
Paul Hillestad, Riley Hillestad’s father, asked the court for leniency because drugs and alcohol were involved in the crime.
"Everyone makes mistakes in life,” Paul Hillestad said. “But, that doesn't mean they have to pay for it for the rest of their lives."
Hillestad's lawyer asked the judge to consider a low-end sentence for Riley’s case, saying "every murder case has family that has lost someone," and, "the court should start at the middle of the range." The lawyer also asked the judge to consider that Riley has no other criminal offenses in his final sentencing.
In a statement, suspect Ryan Hillestad said, "I feel deeply sorry for what happened to Jason." However, he said his apology is not an admission of guilt.
After the sentence was doled out, the judge overseeing the case said, "In this case, I do feel the system has failed." The judge told the court that the suspects involved in Fox's murder continue to downplay what they did and place blame on the other people involved.
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