On the morning of August 13, 2021, Dominic Jacoby, a 20-year-old White/Caucasian male, was found shot to death in the street just outside of his Gresham, Oregon, home. Paramedics attempted life-saving measures, but Jacoby, a former standout football and baseball player at Sam Barlow High School, died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. Remembered by friends, family, and coaches as a loyal and fiercely competitive person with an infectious personality, his death came as a shock to the
community.
The investigation into the homicide led Gresham police to a former friend and high school acquaintance, 26-year-old Alec James Baldridge. Detectives learned that Baldridge and Jacoby had been involved in selling marijuana together and that Baldridge owed Jacoby a significant amount of money, reported to be around $35,200. The two had arranged to meet on the night of the murder. Investigators pieced together the events leading up to the shooting, discovering that Baldridge had tried to recruit an accomplice the evening before the killing. When that failed, he reportedly said he would have to "take care of this myself."
Despite Baldridge's initial denial of being at Jacoby's home, detectives used cellphone location data that placed him at the crime scene. Surveillance video captured a dark sedan, matching the description of his girlfriend's car, entering and leaving the area around the time of the shooting. Six bullet casings were recovered from the scene. The investigation revealed that in the early morning hours, Baldridge made multiple trips to Jacoby's home. A final video call was logged between the two just three minutes before six shots rang out, five of which struck Jacoby.
Alec James Baldridge was arrested and charged with second-degree murder with a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm. During his trial, the prosecution presented the evidence gathered by detectives, including the financial motive and the digital trail that contradicted Baldridge's statements. In June 2024, a Multnomah County jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before finding Baldridge guilty on all charges. He remains in custody, awaiting sentencing.
