WCDA Secures Life Sentence in Murder Case

Reno Man Convicted on 2nd Degree Murder Charge Results in Life Sentence

Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks has announced that a Reno man has been sentenced to life in prison as a result of a murder conviction nearly a year after the defendant was found guilty. Jessie Bailey, 27 from Reno, was convicted on one count of 2^nd degree murder after a weeklong jury trial in Washoe County District Court last December.   He was sentenced late last month to life in prison with parole eligibility after a minimum of 10 years has been served. Bailey was also sentenced to an additional 20 years for a deadly weapon enhancement, with parole eligibility beginning after 7 years has been served, consecutive to the murder sentence.

Facts of the Case:  The case against Bailey began on May 5, 2019 when the Reno Police Department (RPD) responded to the area of West 3^rd and Vine Street in Reno on a report of a dead body. When officers arrived, they located a deceased female, identified as Andrea Faulkner, with an apparent gunshot wound to her head. RPD Robbery Homicide Unit (RHU) detectives were called out to the scene and immediately began an investigation. A preliminary investigation determined that the victim had been homeless for several years and was known to frequent the downtown area. The Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office assisted in the investigation and determined that her death was the result of a shot to the left side head with a small caliber round. Further investigation by RHU identified Bailey as the suspect and determined that he had shot the victim in the early morning hours of May 5, 2019. Detectives were able to track Bailey as he walked to and from the scene of the murder by reviewing surveillance footage from numerous locations across downtown Reno. A search warrant executed on Bailey's residence located a .22 caliber handgun and clothing consistent with that seen in the video footage. Ballistics testing later matched a spent casing found at the scene with the weapon. Bailey was arrested and this office filed formal charge of Open Murder against him.

At sentencing, Chief Deputy District Attorney Kelly Kossow argued that Bailey deserved the maximum possible sentence because he preyed on one of the most vulnerable populations in our community and shot the victim late at night as she lay sleeping in her tent.