Murder of Craig Sorger
Craig Martin Sorger (February 10, 1990 - February 15, 2003) was a 13-year-old American teenager who was tortured and murdered by his then-12-year-old tweenage friends and classmates Evan Drake Savoie (born October or November 1990) and Jake Lee Eakin (born November 14, 1990)[a] in Ephrata, Washington.[1]
| Murder of Craig Sorger | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ephrata, Washington, U.S. |
| Date | February 15, 2003 |
Attack type | Murder by Beating and Stabbing |
| Weapons | A rock, knife and a tree branch |
| Victim | Craig Martin Sorger |
| Perpetrators | Evan Drake Savoie Jake Lee Eakin |
| Motive | Thrill killing |
| Verdict | Guilty |
| Convictions | First-degree murder |
Murder
changeOn the evening of February 15, 2003, Evan and Jake knocked on Craig's trailer's door and asked his mother if he could play with them. Craig convinced his mother to let him play with his friends and she decided to let him go. After that, they went to a nearby park and played for a while.
After a few minutes, Evan asked Craig to touch the grass to see if it was wet and count to 10 and he did. While he was doing that, Evan grabbed a rock and threw it at Craig's neck. He then began to stab him with a knife at his chest and torso. Jake joined in the attack, by beating Craig with a tree branch at his head and legs. They then left. Craig's best friend, who later testified as a witness, ran to him and tried to help him, Craig saw him and tried to tell him something, but died before doing so.[2]
Conviction and aftermath
changeThey were arrested three days later[b][3] and in 2005 Jake was sentenced to 14 years in prison and in 2006 Evan was sentenced to 26 years in prison. In 2014 that was reduced to 20 years in prison.
They were the youngest murder defendants to be charged as adults in Washington state history.[4]
Jake was released in February 2017 and claims to have been born again and is now an anti-abortion activist with a wife and two daughters. However, he was arrested two times after his release: One in 2018 for trespassing[5] and another one in 2022 for larceny.[c]
Evan was released in February 2023.
Notes
change- ↑ In one of his Facebook accounts, he lists his birth date as on November 14, 1990.
- ↑ Jake has stated in one of his Facebook posts that he and Evan were arrested for Craig's murder 3 days after they did it.
- ↑ A now deleted page of Jake on GreenvilleCounty.org revealed that he was arrested on May 12, 2022 for larceny.
References
change- ↑ Wright, Melodie (May 8, 2003). "Justice and remembrance". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved May 5, 2024.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ Writer, David Cole
Herald Staff (April 26, 2006). "Teen watched as best friend was murdered". Columbia Basin Herald. Retrieved May 29, 2024. - ↑ Cole, David (April 21, 2006). "Victim's mother: 'That's who did it'". Columbia Basin Herald. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ↑ "Adult Penalty for Boys Charged in Playmate's Murder". ABC News. March 19, 2004. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ↑ Shugerman, Emily (February 2, 2019). "The Brutal Story of Jake Eakin, Child Murderer Turned Anti-Abortion Zealot". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 17, 2024.