DeJesus given two life sentences for Bremerton double murder

Published 1:30 am Friday, December 16, 2016

Geraldo DeJesus, convicted in September of the brutal shooting deaths in 2015 of his ex-girlfriend and a 2-year-old boy, received two life sentences by a Kitsap County Superior Court judge with no possibility of parole for the crimes.

DeJesus had answered an ad by Heather Kelso seeking a roommate in her home in the Kariotis Mobile Home Park in East Bremerton; he moved in shortly after. But the arrangement did not last, and DeJesus moved out and into a home in Port Orchard.

DeJesus shot Kelso and 2-year-old Kaden Lum with a 9-mm pistol. The weapon was never found, but a shell casing found at the murder scene matched the ballistics markings of a casing taken from DeJesus’ residence in Port Orchard. Mathew Dean, a friend of Kelso, was also shot. He recovered after a lengthy and difficult rehabilitation process.

The sentence handed down on Dec. 12 by Superior Court Judge Kevin Hull conveyed the horror of the crimes: two life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 680 months in prison.

The sentencing hearing took three hours as friends and family members of both Kelso and Lum described in heart-wrenching detail the impact the murders had had on their lives.

“It was a very emotional hearing,” Deputy Prosecutor Barbara Dennis said.

Representatives of each family affected — including DeJesus’ own mother and his three sisters — and Kelso’s parents appeared via Skype. More than 15 people spoke.

DeJesus intends to appeal the sentence.

— Edited by Mark Briant