A California woman who shot her husband to death while he slept after he threatened to end their marriage will spend over three decades behind bars.
Butte County Superior Court Judge Virginia Gingery sentenced 27-year-old Jessica Rose Nichols to 25 years to life in prison for the shooting death of her 22-year-old husband, Mateo Lange. Nichols pleaded no contest to first-degree murder with the use of a firearm.
Early morning of Nov. 6, 2020, Oroville Police Department responded to the apartment the couple shared on Grand Avenue after reports of a shooting in progress by a neighbor. The neighbor told investigators she had initially heard two gunshots before Nichols handed her a baby stroller with the couple’s 22-month-old child in it, a note with the child’s name and information about the grandparents, and then returned to the apartment, reported MSN. While on the phone with the 911 dispatcher, another shot rang out in the apartment.
Upon arrival, officers found the defendant sitting on her porch with a 9mm Glock handgun on the floor next to her. Then, they found Lange’s body on the living room floor of the residence on a makeshift bed with two gunshot wounds to the head and one to the chest. Nichols was immediately taken into custody.
Initially, the defendant claimed self-defense, claimed Lange had threatened her life, and then charged at her during a heated argument. However, after a careful examination of the crime scene, investigators found bullet holes in the blanket and around the pillows and determined the victim was shot while sleeping.
According to the Butte County District Attorney’s Office, authorities retrieved video footage from the apartment security camera with audio recordings from the previous night, with Lange telling Nichols he was ending their marriage and leaving the day of the fatal incident. In addition, investigators heard the defendant’s gun jam after the first shot, before she cleared it, chambered a new round, and fired the second shot.
Lange’s family members described him as a gentle giant with a loving heart.
Gingery sentenced Nichols to an additional consecutive 10 years for the gun enhancement.
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