Jurors found Reina Jackson guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Dr. Craig Jackson.
COQUILLE, Ore. — A Coos County judge sentenced Reina Gabriela Jackson to life in prison May 1 after jurors found she helped carry out a fatal home invasion against her ex-husband, Dr. Craig Jackson.
The sentence brought the courtroom focus back to a North Bend hallway where Craig Jackson was found dead on Aug. 2, 2021. Prosecutors said the attack was not a random break-in, but a plan tied to jealousy, custody and money. Reina Jackson, 45, was convicted of second-degree murder April 24 after a three-week trial. She must serve at least 25 years before she can be considered for parole.
The first emergency call came from inside Craig Jackson’s home after his wife said intruders entered while the couple slept. She told deputies that Craig Jackson woke up and fought with two men. She hid under the bed, heard a gunshot and waited until she believed it was safe to come out. She then found her husband down in the hallway outside the bedroom. Because of a language barrier, she struggled to communicate with dispatchers and contacted a friend who helped relay information to police. Deputies and paramedics arrived, but Craig Jackson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators then worked backward from the house. Surveillance footage showed three masked people near the home, described by authorities as two men and one woman. Prosecutors said Reina Jackson was the woman and that the two men joined her in the break-in. Officers later searched Reina Jackson’s home and found a hot fire burning in the fireplace. The heat was strong enough that windows were open, and responding officers said they were uncomfortable inside the home. Prosecutors suggested the fire may have been used to destroy evidence, though other items remained for investigators to examine.
One of the strongest physical clues, according to prosecutors, was found in Reina Jackson’s vehicle. Police said they discovered a map outlining Craig Jackson’s home, even though she denied ever being inside. Investigators also found a $40,000 check from Craig Jackson. Friends told authorities he would not have given Reina Jackson such a large payment, and investigators believed the signature was forged. The state used those items, along with video evidence and witness accounts, to argue that the killing had been planned before the intruders entered the house.
Craig Jackson, 45, was a Navy veteran and physician who worked at Bay Clinic in Coos Bay. He had moved through several stages of life before settling on the southern Oregon coast. He served in the military, attended medical school in Guatemala, married Reina Jackson in 2008 and later moved with her to the United States. Their daughter, Isabella, was born in 2013. The family moved to Oregon in 2014 after he finished his medical training. By 2016, the marriage had ended. Reina Jackson filed for divorce, and the custody fight over Isabella continued for years.
The custody case became a central part of the state’s motive evidence. Craig Jackson had been awarded full custody of Isabella before he was killed. Prosecutors said Reina Jackson had also been receiving $5,000 a month in spousal support, but those payments were nearing an end in 2021. They told jurors that Craig Jackson’s new marriage and custody position angered Reina Jackson. Attorney General Dan Rayfield later described the killing as “brutal and calculated” and said Craig Jackson was building a new life for himself and his daughter when he died.
The defense gave jurors a different path. Public defender Andrew Coit argued during opening statements that Craig Jackson’s wife at the time should be blamed. He cited marital problems and divorce papers found at the crime scene. Prosecutors countered that the wife’s account matched the home invasion evidence and that Reina Jackson’s conduct before and after the killing showed guilt. The jury convicted Reina Jackson of second-degree murder after hearing the competing theories. The state had also pursued conspiracy counts earlier in the case, but the sentencing centered on the murder conviction.
The case had a long gap between the killing and the arrest. A Coos County grand jury returned a secret indictment in May 2023. The charges named Reina Gabriela Jackson, also known as Reina Gabriela Matute-Ruano. At the time, she had left the country with Isabella and gone to Guatemala. Authorities said she withdrew the girl from school before leaving. U.S. marshals arrested Reina Jackson in Atlanta in June 2023 when she returned to the United States. She was taken back to Oregon, where a judge set bail at $2 million after her extradition to Coos County.
Prosecutors also pointed to statements they said Reina Jackson made while jailed. They said she told another inmate that her lawyer showed her a video of “me and the two men that killed my husband.” They also said she wrote letters to Isabella trying to persuade the girl to tell authorities that Craig Jackson had given her the $40,000 check for her mother. Those statements became part of the broader record presented by the state to show planning, cover-up and consciousness of guilt. Authorities said Isabella remained in Guatemala and had not been in contact with Craig Jackson’s family.
The investigation involved Oregon State Police, North Bend police, Coos Bay police, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. Senior Assistant Attorneys General Brad Kalbaugh and Gavin Bruce prosecuted the case with help from the Coos County District Attorney’s Office. Officials said the two other people shown in the surveillance footage have not been publicly identified. That means the sentence resolved Reina Jackson’s case, but not every question about the masked group seen near the home before Craig Jackson was killed.
Reina Jackson is serving a life sentence with parole eligibility after 25 years. The public record still lists two unidentified alleged accomplices as the major unanswered issue in the fatal North Bend home invasion.
Author note: Last updated May 24, 2026.