On a Tuesday afternoon, September 2, 2008, in the quiet community of Alger, Washington, the life of 40-year-old White / Caucasian female Anne Marie Jackson was tragically cut short. A six-year veteran of the Skagit County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Jackson was responding to a disturbance call at a residence, a routine part of her duties that would prove to be her last. Upon her arrival, she was fatally shot, becoming the first victim in a horrific chain of events that would leave a lasting scar on the community.
When dispatchers were unable to make contact with Deputy Jackson, a fellow deputy was sent to her location to investigate. There, a grim discovery was made: Deputy Jackson's body, alongside that of a second shooting victim, 58-year-old Chester Rose. The individual responsible for these senseless acts was identified as 28-year-old Isaac Zamora. His mother had initially called the police to report a trespassing incident involving her son. After killing Deputy Jackson and Rose, Zamora's violent rampage was far from over.
What followed was a terrifying crime spree. Before being apprehended, Zamora murdered four other individuals: 57-year-old David Radcliffe, 38-year-old Greg Gillum, and 48-year-old Julie Binschus in the same neighborhood. He then fled the scene, leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase down Interstate 5. During the pursuit, he wounded a Washington State Patrol trooper and fatally shot another motorist, 64-year-old Leroy Lange. The chase came to an end when Zamora surrendered at the Skagit County Sheriff's Office in Mount Vernon.
The ensuing investigation pieced together the devastating scope of Zamora's actions. He was ultimately arrested and booked on multiple counts of murder and attempted murder. On September 17, 2009, Isaac Zamora pleaded guilty to six counts of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison. The court determined that his sentence would begin in a state mental institution, with the provision that he would be transferred to the state penitentiary if he were ever deemed competent and no longer a danger.
