Jessica Kirkland, a 34-year-old White woman, was a dedicated mother to two children and a stepmother to two others in Sylva, North Carolina. She had recently been promoted to Activity Director at Skyland Care Center, where her love for singing and her vibrant personality brought joy to residents and colleagues. Her life was remembered by friends and family as that of an amazing person who loved her children and others dearly.
Around 12:30 a.m.
on Sunday, April 7, 2024, police responded to a 911 call at Jessica's home on Clayton Street. Officers arrived to find her on the back porch, slumped over in a chair with a wound to her head. A projectile was later found embedded in a kitchen wall, but no firearm was located at the scene. Jessica was transported to Harris Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound. The death marked the small town of Sylva's first homicide investigation since 2011.
The Sylva Police Department immediately began a round-the-clock investigation, assisted by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. Believing that members of the public might hold key information, authorities urged anyone with knowledge of the incident to come forward and contact the Jackson County Communications Center or the police department's anonymous tip line.
The investigation led to the arrest of 35-year-old Sylva resident Jonathan Brian Motte on April 11, 2024. He was charged with felony murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, and as a habitual felon. Motte was held without bond for the murder charge and on a $25,000 bond for the firearm charge. A court date was scheduled for September 9, 2024, and as of July 2024, the case remained pending in litigation.
