On a summer night in southern Oregon, the life of 28-year-old Jesse Swift, a White male, came to a violent end. In the early morning hours of July 27, 2018, Oregon State Police troopers responded to what they initially believed was a vehicle crash on the Redwood Highway near Reeves Creek Road in the vicinity of Kerby. Upon their arrival, they discovered the bodies of Swift and another 28-year-old man from Cave Junction, Matthew J. Cortez.
It was quickly determined that the two men had not died as a result of a car accident, but rather from gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the double homicide soon identified Jesse McCrea of Selma as the shooter. According to reports, McCrea arrived at the scene shortly after law enforcement. Details regarding what led to the fatal confrontation between the three men have not been publicly released. The case was presented to a Josephine County grand jury to determine if criminal charges should be filed against McCrea.
After hearing testimony, including from McCrea himself, the grand jury declined to indict him on homicide charges. The District Attorney's office announced that there was insufficient evidence to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt that McCrea had acted in self-defense. Consequently, no charges were filed against him for the deaths of Jesse Swift and Matthew Cortez, though he did face a charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants. The community was left to mourn the loss of Swift and Cortez, both of whom were remembered as standout football players and wrestlers at Illinois Valley High School, with Swift having won state wrestling titles in 2007 and 2008.
