Murder of Craig Sorger

Murder of Craig Sorger
LocationEphrata, Washington, U.S.
DateFebruary 15, 2003 (2003-02-15)
Attack type
Murder by beating and stabbing
WeaponsA rock, knife and a tree branch
VictimCraig Martin Sorger
PerpetratorsEvan Drake Savoie
Jake Lee Eakin
MotiveThrill
VerdictGuilty
ConvictionsSavoie:

Eakin:

  • Second-degree murder
JudgeJohn Antosz (2003)
Kenneth L. Jorgensen (2005, 2006)
John Hotchkiss (2011)

Craig Martin Sorger (February 10, 1990 – February 15, 2003) was a developmentally disabled 13-year-old American boy who was murdered by his then 12-year-old friends Evan Drake Savoie (born October 22, 1990)[a] and Jake Lee Eakin (born November 14, 1990)[b] in Ephrata, Washington.

During a court hearing, Savoie and Eakin were charged with first and second-degree murder respectively. As part of a plea bargain, Eakin eventually confessed to murdering Sorger and agreed to testify against Savoie.[1] Eakin was sentenced to 14 years in prison[2] and later appealed his conviction unsuccessfully.[3] Savoie was initially sentenced to 26 years in prison,[4] which was reduced to 20 years after an appeal.[5] Savoie eventually also confessed to murdering Sorger at his second trial.[6]

Victim

Craig Sorger, of Everett, was a thirteen-year-old seventh grade special education student with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[7][8] His family moved to Ephrata when he was 11 years old because he was being bullied. He struggled socially as he was a special education student with a learning disability.[9]

Perpetrators

Evan Savoie, of Ephrata, and Jake Eakin, of Moses Lake, were twelve-year-old boys in the sixth grade. Eakin met Savoie when they were two years old, as they are cousins. Jake had one brother and two stepbrothers.[10][c] Savoie had one stepbrother.[d] Evan was a popular student at school and the class clown,[11] but was known for bullying younger or unpopular kids. He also worked as a delivery boy for the local newspaper.[8] Other kids often bullied Eakin because of his speech disability.[11] He also supposedly has a learning disability, though he denied it.

Murder

On the afternoon of February 15, 2003, Savoie and Eakin stopped by the Sorger residence and asked Craig's mother, Lisa, if he could play. According to Craig's brother,[e] Evan and Jake had played with Craig several times before.[12] Craig's mother allowed her son to go with the two boys, but told them Craig could not play for long because he was afraid of the dark.[12]

According to Eakin's later testimony, the three boys went to nearby Oasis Park. After playing for a while, Savoie asked Sorger to feel the ground to see if it was wet. He instructed Sorger to touch the ground and count to ten. While Sorger was on his knees, Savoie dropped a rock on his neck.[13] Savoie then began to repeatedly stab Sorger in his head, neck, chest and torso with a knife.[13] Eakin testified that he beat Sorger in his head and legs using a tree branch.[13] With Sorger lying motionless on the ground, the two boys went to Savoie's home.[13]

As night fell, Sorger's mother searched for him since he did not return home. She visited Savoie's residence and discovered Savoie and Eakin there playing video games together; her son was not present. She then called 911 and went to search the park, where she was joined by Savoie, his parents Holly and Andy Parent, and members of the Ephrata Police Department.[12] A police officer soon discovered Sorger's body in a pile of leaves near a trail, along with the rock and tree branch used in the attack nearby.[14]

When police questioned Savoie and Eakin that night, they claimed they climbed trees and played tag until around 4:30 pm, when they saw Sorger head home.[14] They soon changed their stories and told police that they saw Sorger fall from a tree.[14][15] Police found no evidence that Sorger fell from a tree. The coroner also pointed out stab wounds on the body which were later determined to come from a knife.[8] Sorger's autopsy revealed that in addition to being beaten several times,[8] he was stabbed five times in the chest and torso and at least 34 times in the head and neck.[8] He also had at least 20 blunt force injuries.[12]

Savoie and Eakin were arrested on February 18, 2003[16][f] and were held in Grant County Youth Services Detention Center.[14] Authorities found a note written by Savoie in which he planned to kill someone else after Sorger. Authorities also found a journal named "Sniper" written by Eakin, in which he idolized and supported the 2002 D.C. sniper attacks.[14] The knife used in the attack was found in a nearby river one year later.[17]

Trials

Although Savoie and Eakin both claimed innocence, they were charged with first and second-degree murder respectively and tried as adults by Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz.[18] In February 2005, The Washington Supreme Court upheld the decision to try the boys as adults by declining to hear the case.[19] At twelve-years-old they became the youngest murder defendants tried as adults in Washington since 1931, and the youngest overall.[2] Eakin finally confessed to his role in the killing in 2005 after spending two years in jail awaiting trial.[1] He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder by complicity and agreed to testify against Savoie. Prosecutors agreed to request a relatively light sentence of eight years in prison in exchange for the guilty plea.

On April 28, 2005, Eakin was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to over 14 years in prison.[2] Grant County Superior Court Judge Kenneth L. Jorgensen ruled that there were no mitigating factors to allow for a sentence of eight years.[13][2] Several members of Eakin's family, including his parents, Christopher and Tammy, cried and gasped as the verdict was read.[20]

On April 29, 2006, Savoie was convicted of first-degree murder.[21] On July 8, 2006, he was sentenced to over 26 years in prison, the maximum sentence for a first-time offender.[4] His lawyer stated that the likelihood that his rehabilitation would be more effective after 26 years than 20 was ridiculous. Grant County Superior Court Judge Kenneth L. Jorgensen, however, disagreed, ruling that Savoie's punishment must match his crime.[22] Savoie's mother later complained about the trial's verdict, claiming that her son was "innocent" and that "the killer is still out there". She also called the judge "biased".[23] In 2007, Eakin appealed his sentence unsuccessfully.[3] In 2011, Savoie's conviction was overturned on appeal based on the judge's closure of parts of the trial to the public and his appointment of a lawyer for the victim's family who intervened in the trial. Despite initially pleading not guilty in 2011,[24] Savoie later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2013, and finally confessed to murdering Sorger after ten years.[6] On March 25, 2014, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison by Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss.[5]

Aftermath

Eakin and Savoie were incarcerated at Green Hill Training School until their 18th birthdays, when they were sent to separate adult prisons.[25]

On June 12, 2016, Eakin escaped from work release while serving the final months of his sentence at Ahtanum View Work Release Center.[26] He was recaptured by U.S. Marshals two days later in Rapid City, South Dakota[27] and was returned to custody.[27]

Eakin remained incarcerated at Washington Corrections Center for the rest of his sentence.[28] Eakin was conditionally released in February 2017. His full sentence ended in April 2019. He is now an anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion activist.[29] He has also apologized to Sorger in an interview, and said he dedicated his activism to him. He was arrested twice after his release: in 2018 for trespassing[30] and in 2022 for larceny.[g]

Savoie was incarcerated in the Airway Heights Corrections Center.[31] He was conditionally released in June 2020. His full sentence ended in April 2026.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Evan's mother made a Facebook post in 2022 wishing him a happy birthday on October 22.
  2. ↑ In one of his Facebook accounts, he lists his birth date as November 14, 1990.
  3. ↑ His brother's name is Jonathan and his stepbrothers's names are Austin and Christopher Vickery.
  4. ↑ His stepbrother's name was Andy Parent Jr. They no longer are stepbrothers because Evan's mother and stepfather divorced.
  5. ↑ Craig's brother's name is Keith.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ A now deleted page of Jake on GreenvilleCounty.org revealed that he was arrested on May 12, 2022 for larceny.

References

  1. 1 2 Gary, Brad (April 28, 2005). "Jake Eakin admitted guilt". Columbia Basin Herald. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Martin, Jonathan (April 29, 2005). "Youth confesses to role in murder; 14-year sentence surprises courtroom". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Court rejects teen's appeal of sentence". NonStop Local KHQ. April 12, 2007. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Dininny, Shannon (July 11, 2006). "Teen murderer gets 26-plus years for killing playmate". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Murderer gets new 20 year sentence". The Columbian. March 26, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Savoie pleads guilty in Ephrata teen's death". KOMO. November 4, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  7. ↑ "State of Washington v. Evan Drake Savoie". Justia Law. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Martin, Jonathan; Armstrong, Ken (August 22, 2004). "Confounding murder case tests court system in turmoil". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Teen stands trial today in death of student, 13". HeraldNet.com. Associated Press. April 9, 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Obituary: Christopher Alan Vickery (1966–2024)". Source ONE News. April 7, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  11. 1 2 Lebrun, Marcel (2016). Rebels in Society: The Perils of Adolescence. p. 123.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Cole, David (April 21, 2006). "Victim's mother: 'That's who did it'". Columbia Basin Herald. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Dininny, Shannon (April 15, 2006). "Teenager describes killing of playmate". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Leung, Rebecca (July 22, 2005). "Boys Next Door". CBS News. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  15. ↑ Dininny, Shannon (April 27, 2006). "Killing suspect says victim fell from tree | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  16. ↑ Ward, Whitney; Riordan, Kaitlin (January 30, 2020). "'A radical transformation': Jake Eakin goes from child killer to anti-abortion activist". krem.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Authorities link knife to Ephrata boy's death". Columbia Basin Herald. June 10, 2004. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Adult Penalty for Boys Charged in Playmate's Murder". ABC News. March 19, 2004. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  19. ↑ Martin, Jonathan (February 25, 2005). "Supreme Court clears way for trial of 2 boys as adults". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  20. ↑ "In court, story of murder finally told: Boy describes what happened in Ephrata park, apologizes to Sorger family". The Wenatchee World. April 29, 2005. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  21. ↑ Dininny, Shannon (April 29, 2006). "Jury convicts Ephrata teen of killing disabled playmate". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  22. ↑ Dininny, Shannon (July 11, 2006). "Savoie, 15, gets 26 years in beating, stabbing death | The Spokesman-Review". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  23. ↑ Cole, David (May 1, 2006). "Savoie found guilty". Columbia Basin Herald. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  24. ↑ Dininny, Shannon (November 29, 2011). "Man convicted of murder at 15 pleads not guilty". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  25. ↑ Martin, Jonathan (August 5, 2006). "Doubt cast on teenager's murder confession | The Seattle Times". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Man who killed Ephrata teen at age 12 escapes from Yakima work release". KOMO. June 13, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  27. 1 2 Robbins, Jefferson (June 14, 2016). "Jake Lee Eakin recaptured in South Dakota". The Wenatchee World. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Killer who left Wash. work release caught in SD". Corrections1. June 15, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  29. ↑ Walters, Daniel (January 25, 2019). "Councilman Fagan says he didn't know anti-abortion activist he invited on his show was a murderer". Inlander. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  30. ↑ Shugerman, Emily (February 2, 2019). "The Brutal Story of Jake Eakin, Child Murderer Turned Anti-Abortion Zealot". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  31. ↑ Robinson, Erin (July 24, 2019). "Looking back at Eastern Washington's history of charging juvenile murderers as adults". KXLY kxly.com. Retrieved June 8, 2024.

Further reading

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