Oregon Department of Justice Secures Life Sentence for Coos County Woman Who Murdered Ex-Husband

May 1, 2026
• Posted in ,

The Oregon Department of Justice announced that a Coos County judge has sentenced Reina Jackson to life in prison, with no possibility of parole for a minimum of 25 years, for the 2021 murder of her ex-husband, Dr. Craig Jackson. A Coos County jury convicted Jackson of murder in the second degree on April 24, 2026, following a three-week trial.

“Dr. Craig Jackson served his country, built a career dedicated to caring for people, and was building a new life for himself and his daughter,” said Attorney General Dan Rayfield. “What happened to him was brutal and calculated. His family deserved justice, and the sentence reflects the gravity of what was done.”

Dr. Jackson, a Navy veteran and physician at Bay Clinic in Coos Bay, was shot and killed at his North Bend home in the early morning hours of August 2, 2021. Evidence presented at trial showed that Reina Jackson conspired with two others to carry out the attack. The couple’s contentious divorce and custody dispute had spanned years, with Dr. Jackson having been awarded full custody of their daughter, Isabella.

Before her arrest, Reina Jackson withdrew Isabella from school and fled to Guatemala. Isabella has not been in contact with Dr. Jackson’s family since. Reina Jackson was arrested in Atlanta in June 2023 after returning to the United States.

Attorney General Rayfield thanks ODOJ Senior Assistant Attorney General Brad Kalbaugh and Senior Assistant Attorney General Gavin Bruce for their hard work prosecuting this case, along with the assistance of the Coos County District Attorney’s office. The investigation was led by Oregon State Police and the North Bend Police Department with the assistance of the Coos Bay Police Department, Coos County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).