A Towaoc man was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to 55 years in prison for shooting another man three times.
The victim survived.
Matthew Dewayne Jaramillo, 29, rolled his head and looked at family members in the courtroom gallery upon hearing the sentence. He exchanged glances and flashed several smiles before being led out of the courtroom in Durango.
He was facing 25 years to life in prison.
A jury convicted Jaramillo on May 17 of five felonies, including assault with intent to commit murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors said Jaramillo shot Wilson Ben Jones Jr. three times at close range with a .45 caliber handgun.
The incident occurred March 7, 2012, in Towaoc on the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation southwest of Cortez. The case was tried in federal court because it happened on tribal land and Jaramillo and Jones are enrolled members of the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Candelaria said no clear motive exists for the shooting.
Shortly before Wednesday’s hearing, Jaramillo fired his defense attorneys – Thomas Hammond and Elizabeth Harris – and chose to represent himself during the sentencing phase.
During a rambling statement to the court, he denied committing the crimes and accused investigators and the government of doing an incomplete investigation.
“The U.S. government is corrupt,” he said. “They don’t do what they’re accountable to do. ... It’s corrupted. It’s tainted. The whole thing is tainted. You’re going to take away my life and liberty for things that aren’t even true.”
Prosecutors had few statements to the court, other than to observe that Jaramillo took no responsibility for his actions.
Several family members spoke on Jaramillo’s behalf, including his aunt, brother, foster mother and wife.
They described Jaramillo as a product of the state and federal government. He was in and out of foster homes as a child and has been in and out of jail as an adult.
His aunt said the judicial system heard only part of the story. People in Towaoc wanted to “test” Jaramillo, she said. She questioned how justice can occur when underlying problems persist.
“It’s sad that we have a system like this,” she said. “Things happen. Truth is not said. Nobody in our reservation speaks the truth, and it’s sad that we live in that society. ... In Towaoc, things are not right. People get hurt down there.”
But Candelaria said the case is a product of people coming forward to tell the truth.
“That’s a big issue out in Towaoc, is people not wanting to cooperate because they’re afraid,” he said.
Federal prisoners can be released for good behavior after serving 85 percent of their sentences. But Jaramillo hasn’t demonstrated a good track record behind bars, Candelaria said.
Shortly after learning of the guilty verdicts at his trial, Jaramillo threw a full Thermos of water at federal prosecutors, hitting assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Norvell in the leg. He then yelled threats at prosecutors while deputies subdued him, said Jeffrey Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in a previous interview.
The victim testified against Jaramillo, but Jaramillo never took the witness stand in his own defense.
Judge Robert E. Blackburn said Jaramillo suffers from mental-health problems, is the product of a “disastrous” and “dysfunctional” childhood, and he has a “disturbing” criminal history.
He has five prior felony convictions.
It is bad enough that Jaramillo shot his victim three times, Blackburn said, but even worse is that he left him there to bleed to death.
“Only by the grace of God did the victim survive,” Blackburn said.
shane@durangoherald.com