Man Who Killed NMSP Officer Hare Will Not Face Death Penalty

Jaremy Alexander Smith will not face the death penalty for shooting and killing New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare this past March. The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico filed the notice Wednesday.

Hare was shot and killed when he offered to give Smith a ride after he came across him and his disabled vehicle. Smith shot the officer twice, placed him into the passenger side of his patrol car before stealing it. 

Smith abandoned the vehicle 16 miles away and fled on foot, later captured by authorities. Hare was taken to a hospital where he later passed away from his injuries.

At the time, Smith was a suspect in the murder of an off-duty paramedic in South Carolina. The car he was driving when he came across officer Hare belonged to that murder victim.