The Evansville man found guilty in May of murdering his girlfriend, 43-year-old Jennifer Gorecki, will serve 60 years in an Indiana prison, a Vanderburgh County judge ruled Friday.
Jurors on May 23 found Jason Duwann Mortez Horne, 45, guilty of murder, a Level 1 felony, and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, a Level 4 felony, in connection with Gorecki’s 2024 killing, according to court records.
Circuit Court Magistrate Ryan C. Reed handed down Horne’s 60-year sentence during a hearing Friday morning. Horne faced a possible sentence of between 50 years and 85 years, the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office stated last month.
Horne stood trial for Gorecki’s murder twice: The first ended in a mistrial amidst an evidentiary dispute, while the second week-long trial concluded with jurors finding Horne guilty-as-charged after about four-and-a-half hours of deliberations.
According to prosecutors, Horne shot and killed Gorecki inside a South Morton Avenue home in March 2024. Horne told investigators he was in a long-term relationship with Gorecki, adding that he considered her to be his wife even though they were not legally married.
Horne and Gorecki were the only people inside the home at the time of the shooting.
It was Gorecki’s 9-year-old son who dialed 911 to report that Gorecki appeared to have been shot, according to detectives. The child told police he arrived at the home and found his mother lying on the floor and struggling to breathe. Horne was inside the home as well, the child said, repeating the words, “no, no, God please.”
During a police interview, Horne maintained that Gorecki took her own life, but he admitted to having a “bad” argument with her prior to the shooting and told detectives he’d been in a “rage” that day.
Investigators said the evidence did not support Horne’s contention that Gorecki shot herself. There were no burn marks on Gorecki’s clothes, Horne’s arrest affidavit states, the presence of which would indicate she had been shot at close range as is typical in suicides or accidental shootings.
Horne’s DNA “and no one else’s” was recovered from the firearm, prosecutors said.
“Jason Horne killed Jennifer Gorecki,” Vanderburgh County Deputy Prosecutor Keaton Maurer told jurors during his closing argument. “We know he shot her. All evidence shows guilt.”
Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Diana Moers described the case as a tragic instance of “domestic violence.”
“(Horne) has taken a life into his own hands and now (Gorecki’s) family, friends, and son are without her,” Moers said after jurors rendered their verdict. “I am proud of my office and law enforcement who left no stone unturned in this case — we utilized testimony, DNA evidence, ballistics evidence and testimony from the forensic pathologist to unravel the lie that Jason Horne constructed and secure a conviction.”
The court ordered Horne’s term of confinement to begin Friday, though it was not immediately clear how quickly he would be transferred from the Vanderburgh County jail to the Indiana Department of Correction.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Jason Horne, convicted of murdering girlfriend, will serve decades in prison
Reporting by Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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