Inside Humboldt Courts: Murder Retrial Opens in Jake Combs Case as Jury Hears Graphic Testimony; Judge Denies New Trial in Child Abuse Conviction

Humboldt County Superior Court handles a steady flow of criminal cases each day, but most proceedings pass without much public notice unless they result in major developments.

In this column, Redheaded Blackbelt provides a regular look at what’s moving through the local courts-tracking hearings, trials, and filings in cases that are either well known or warrant closer public attention. As always, any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. 

TUESDAY’s ROUND-UP:

IN THE CASE OF: Jake Combs 

The murder retrial of Jake Henry Combs began with an opening statement from the District Attorney’s office and the first full day of witness testimony, Tuesday in Courtroom One before Judge Kaleb Cockrum. RHBB was in the room for the DA’s opening argument, and the first four witnesses – recapped here. 

Combs, 34, was originally convicted by a jury in August 2023 of first-degree murder in the killing of Trevor Earley, along with a special allegation of personally discharging a firearm causing death. An appellate court reversed that judgment, and Combs was returned from Calipatria State Prison to Humboldt County custody in the summer of 2025. 

The conviction that brought Combs to Calipatria State Prison did not hold. In May 2025, the California First District Court of Appeal overturned the verdict, agreeing with one of Combs’ arguments on appeal — that the trial court had improperly admitted evidence that while awaiting trial in jail, Combs had attacked a wheelchair-bound inmate (an assault captured on video and played for the jury) which showed Combs continuing the attack until a Taser was deployed. The appellate panel found the evidence inflammatory and prejudicial, concluding there was a reasonable chance the jury’s verdict would have been more favorable to Combs without it. The California Attorney General’s Office sought a rehearing, but the court denied it. A retrial resulted.

Jury selection began April 27, and witness testimony began yesterday. With a gallery holding roughly twenty observers to the case, Judge Caleb Cockrum took a moment to thank the jury and to remind those in the courtroom that the reason it is customary to stand when a jury enters and at the initiation of a trial hearing because it is a reminder of the “solemn” duty that the court and its jurors are required to perform, and to show respect for the process.  

Senior Deputy District Attorney Whitney Timm opened for the People in a measured, narrative style – methodically walking jurors through the events of the night Earley died in the remote Southern Humboldt community of Alderpoint, describing the sequence of events without theatrical accusation, letting the weight of the account carry itself. 

The defense, represented by Deputy Public Defenders Emery Welton and co-counsel Ryan McClurg, reserved its opening statement and may deliver it later in the proceedings. 

The DA’s Opening Arguments:

Using a slideshow projected for the jury, DA Timm laid out a timeline, and described how the incident occurred from the vantage point of witnesses she would later call. Trevor Earley, she explained, defendant Jake Combs, and friends Zeb Humphrey and Elias Antunez – had spent the day at the Alderpoint bridge shooting guns and drinking before heading to the Stone Junction bar in Garberville. Surveillance footage from that bar was shown to jurors. Driveway camera footage later showed the group returning to Alderpoint at 3:21 a.m.

Back at the property, Timm described to jurors that Trevor Earley was bitten in the face by Combs’ dog, and reacted with a verbal threat toward the animal, without making any assessment of the genuineness of the statement made, only noting that it was stated while Earley was “in pain” and shocked by the dog’s bite.

Prosecutors presented the alleged threat toward the dog as the motive for the shooting that followed. 

DA Timm then described the moment that Early was allegedly shot by Combs, with Eli watching. From the point of view of witnesses, Combs is described as going to his truck, and retrieving a gun before approaching the front porch from behind. Timm told the jury Combs had “sneaked up” on Earley from behind, firing at close range. 

In the immediate aftermath, Combs turned to Earley’s friend Eli and said, “He thought I was playing.” He then forced Eli to accompany him away from the scene at gunpoint. Eli later told investigators he complied because he “could not outrun a bullet,” and believed Combs would kill him if he tried to escape. He was eventually able to part ways with Combs by simply asking, and sought help at a nearby residence, where he drew investigators a diagram of the house and the location of Earley’s body.

Combs and his dog were spotted walking along Highway 36 at 9:30 a.m., Timm explained. Dash camera footage from a CHP officer, shown to jurors, captured the moment Combs bolted into the brush, tossing the dog’s leash onto the roadway leaving the dog on the roadside as the officer approached on foot before being taken into custody. 

A white Ford Explorer had already been found overturned nearby, with a 9mm semi-automatic Glock recovered from the floorboards. Nine spent casings were found at the scene – one next to Earley’s body, eight around his truck, which had been riddled with bullets. 

Earley’s blood was found on Combs’ white T-shirt.

The autopsy, Timm told jurors, classified the gunshot wound as a “contact wound” – fired at extremely close range – to the head above the left eye. Graphic photographs were shown to the jury, which DA Timm pointed out showed a visible dog bite injury to the front of Earley’s face. Family members seated in the gallery, more than twenty strong and having traveled from as far as Brookings, Oregon, wept visibly throughout.

Timm also told jurors that during his incarceration, Combs made an incriminating statement, He said that Combs told someone, “I domed that [pejorative].” This is slang for shooting someone in the head.

Seeing that the defense opted to reserve their opening arguments, DA Timm began with witness testimony.

Witness testimony

Robin Craig, retired assistant chief of the Alderpoint Volunteer Fire Department was the first witness called. He testified that on the night of January 6, 2022, Lonnie Humphrey came to his door with no cell reception and no time to explain. Craig treated it as a medical call, grabbed what he needed, and responded to the house. He found Trevor Earley on the front porch, cold to the touch, no pulse at the neck. He determined no life-saving measures were possible, scanned for additional victims, found none, and taped off the driveway with orange and yellow flagging – securing a crime scene by the light of the porch lamp. Craig remains under recall as a witness.

Sam Humphrey, Zeb’s father and a long-time Alderpoint resident, testified next. Zeb and Trevor had been best friends, and Sam had known Trevor his entire life. He teared up on the stand when shown a photograph of the young man. He described his son arriving at his house that night in a frantic state, and his own immediate response: he dropped his young daughter at her grandmother’s house, went to pick up his brother Lonnie, and the two men grabbed shotguns. They didn’t know who had fired or where the shooter might be. “I was worried someone was still there,” Sam said. At the scene, he described the truck: “Looked like someone shot it all up.“ He watched his son Zeb reach through a broken window to retrieve a can of chew from inside. Sam acknowledged Zeb had been drinking – “as a dad, you could tell” – and initially thought he saw blood on Zeb’s face before clarifying that it appeared to be a scratch near the nose, not blood. Sam Humphrey remains under recall as a witness.

Lonnie Humphrey, Sam’s older brother testified next. Lonnie is a retired corrections officer who worked at San Quentin and Pelican Bay, now living in Brookings, Oregon, recognizable by a sharp flat-top and an impressive handlebar mustache – testified to arriving at the scene around 4:10 to 4:15 a.m. The porch area was lit, he said. He could see Trevor Earley from where he stood. “I could see blood slowly trickling down through Trevor’s hair,” upon getting closer, he told the jury. He saw a bullet hole above the left eye. He had tried to call Robin Craig but had no cell service, so he’d run to Craig’s house, jumped the fence, knocked, and left as soon as he relayed the message. He confirmed it was John Earley – Trevor’s father – who later laid his coat over his son’s face. Loni also noted several bullet holes in the front windshield of the truck and pistol shell casings on the ground. He did not touch the backpack found at the scene, although noted that John Earley went through it. Loni Humphrey remains under recall as a witness.

Detective Sergeant Shane Steele of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office also provided testimony. Steele was on patrol the night of the incident, and was dispatched to a CHP scene on Highway 36 where he found Eli in the back of a patrol car. Steele described him as “limping,” and “physically and mentally a wreck.” After Eli described being taken hostage, Steele recognized him as a victim,and attempted to make him more comfortable while in custody. Steel also observed the tow truck leaving the area, heading towards Fortuna on Hwy 36 with the suspect vehicle. He then ordered a tow truck driver to return the vehicle to the scene for the Major Crimes Unit to conduct their investigation of the evidence, including the wrecked Explorer. The Glock was recovered from the floorboards, dirty, with grass pressed into the grip and a single live round remaining. Eli was later transported to Garberville for an interview with detectives and released afterward. Steele remains under recall as a witness.

Trial continues Wednesday in Courtroom One before Judge Cockrum.

Separately, Combs also has an open felony case charging him with possession of methamphetamine in a custodial facility stemming from an August 2025 incident at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility while awaiting retrial. An amended complaint in that matter was filed April 30, and a preliminary hearing remains pending.

IN THE CASE OF: Steve Boudreaux

[Warning: This image has graphic descriptions. Consider not reading.]

A Felony criminal complaint against Beaudroux describes crimes alleged against him. 

A Humboldt County judge has denied a motion for a new trial in the case of Steve Elliot Boudreaux, an Arcata man convicted last year of multiple counts of child sexual abuse spanning more than a decade involving two separate child victims.

Judge Kaleb Cockrum denied the motion Thursday, May 1, in Courtroom One, finding that defense attorney Casey Russo had not established grounds to question the jury’s verdicts. The District Attorney’s office, represented by Deputy DA Whitney Timm, opposed the new trial motion. After oral argument and rebuttal from both sides, Cockrum provided stated reasons for the denial on the record.

The case – prosecuted over two separate trials – produced convictions on seven felony counts of child sexual abuse. A first jury in July 2024, before Judge John Feeney, reached a unanimous guilty verdict on Count 6, a lewd act on a child under 14 years old, but deadlocked 7-5 in favor of guilt on the remaining five counts. That split vote resulted in a mistrial as to those charges. 

A second jury before Judge Cockrum returned guilty verdicts on six additional counts in December 2025, following a marathon 22-day trial.

Ecourt image of court minutes of July 8, 2024, Jury Trail day 18.

The convictions cover sexual offenses against two local children over a period spanning roughly 2010 to 2022. The first victim, Doe 1, was born in 2005, while the second listed victim, Doe 2, was born in 2009. The offenses alleged against Doe 1 occurred at properties on Samoa Boulevard in Arcata and at a separate Arcata location. The offense against Doe 2 – for which the first jury convicted – allegedly occurred during a sleepover. 

Boudreaux has been held without bail at the Humboldt County Jail since January 16, 2024. The case carries special allegations under the “One Strike” law, which mandates a sentence of 25 years to life upon findings that the defendant committed the offenses against multiple victims under 14. The court found those special allegations true on five of the seven counts.

Judge Cockrum also found in December of 2025 that the victim in Count 6 was particularly vulnerable and that Boudreaux had taken advantage of a position of trust or confidence to commit the offense. 

A third aggravating factor – that the defendant engaged in violent conduct indicating a serious danger to society– was found not true.

Sentencing is now scheduled for May 20, 2026, at 8:31 a.m. in Courtroom One.

IN THE CASE OF: Arthur Howatt Jr.

Booking Photo of Arthur Howatt Jr.

Arthur John Howatt Jr. has a pair of open cases working through Humboldt County Superior Court, with a sentencing hearing coming up on May 13 in Courtroom Three.

In a case filed by the Fortuna Police Department in August 2024, Howatt faces a misdemeanor charge of driving on a suspended or revoked license related to a May 2024 incident. 

Court records show Howatt entered a plea on April 9, 2026, and has been in custody at the Humboldt County Jail since October 8, 2025 – 209 days as of Tuesday. He is represented by public defense attorney Rebecca Yolanda Linkous.

A separate felony case filed by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office in October 2025 – resolved by guilty plea on April 9 as well. Howatt pleaded to one felony count of buying or receiving stolen property after two burglary counts were dismissed as part of the resolution. Probation records in that case note a recommendation of low-term, 16 months in state prison.

Howatt’s next court date is May 13, 2026. 

Humboldt County Correctional Facility. [Composite image by Ryan Hutson]

If you know of a case that has significant public interest that you would like followed, email us at [email protected] 

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