A man charged in the 2014 murder of a young Swampscott mother shockingly changed his plea Friday in Salem District Court, admitting in front of a judge that he is the killer.
“You don’t feel her yet. She’ll torture you. I hope she does,” Jaimee Mendez’s mother said. “You won’t get forgiveness from me.”
Jason Fleury, 39, pleaded guilty to manslaughter as part of a plea bargain. Instead of going to trial, Fleury agreed to instead admit to murdering Mendez.
Fleury faces 17 years in prison instead of life. Mendez’s family was not happy with the deal.
“What was my sister’s deal,” Mendez’s sister said. “I wish my sister had that much say in her future.”
The family did get to hear the prosecution say that there was video evidence of Mendez getting into Fleury’s van and that her blood was on a rug thrown in the trash from that van.
They also learned that when her body washed up in Swampscott months later, the lobster traps and netting she was wrapped in belonged to Fluery’s boss.
Mendez’s family got a chance to tell Fleury exactly what they think of him.
“This dirt bag knew how to cover up his crime so he could get away with it and walk away like nothing ever happened,” said Beatrice Mendez, Jaimee’s aunt.
Emotions ran high in the courtroom. When the plea bargain was read, one person stood up and said “this is a joke” and walked out.
Mendez was 25 when she was killed. She left behind a son.
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