Alleged Murder in Defense of Dog, Possible Plea Deal for Repeat Sex Crimes, and Wrongful Death at the Lamplighter Inside Humboldt Courts

Composite photo–Insert left, booking photo of Jake Combs, defendant in the homicide of Trevor Earley, Image of California Cane Corso by Leilani Souza, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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 Alderpoint Murder Retrial

Jake Combs Booking Photo, 2022

Jake Henry Combs, 34, took the stand in his own defense again on Tuesday morning in his retrial for the first-degree murder of Trevor Earley — a dramatic turn in a case that has stretched across nearly two weeks of testimony. 

Combs is accused of shooting Earley in the head on January 6, 2022, at a residence on 6th Street in Alderpoint. In his own words to investigators after the shooting, Combs is on record as having stated, “My dog bit this person. That person said they were going to have to kill my dog so I went up and shot that person in the head.”

That account takes on additional context in light of background detailed in the First District Court of Appeal’s opinion reversing Combs’ original conviction – a court record available for public review. 

According to that document, Combs and his dog – described as a Cane Corso named Lalo, weighing between 100 and 120 pounds as a puppy – had moved into Eli Antunez’s home on Sixth Street in Alderpoint around December 2021. The young dog Lalo was described as occasionally aggressive and “known to bite” in the  First District Court of Appeal’s opinion. Because of this, Combs typically confined the dog to a bedroom or bathroom when people came to the house, according to the accounting in court records. On a prior occasion, the dog Lalo had reportedly latched onto Trevor Earley’s arm and would not release until Combs pulled him off. 

The current retrial of Jake Combs follows a May 2025 ruling by the First District Court of Appeal reversing Combs’ original conviction — in which he had been sentenced to 50 years to life — on grounds that a jail assault video had been improperly admitted at trial. Judge Kaleb Cockrum is presiding over the retrial. Defense is handled by attorneys Welton and McClurg.

With the jury not present Tuesday afternoon, Judge Cockrum and counsel worked through proposed jury instructions– a seemingly uneventful session that surfaced significant legal disputes about how jurors will be told to evaluate Combs’ actions.

At the center of the debate is a fundamental tension in the defense theory itself. 

Combs has maintained he shot Earley to protect his dog. But California’s self-defense jury instructions are written to cover defense of a person — not of an animal. 

Some jury instructions were debated, with further decisions slated for this morning, before closing statements are expected. Judge Cockrum indicated tentatively that he intended to instruct the jury explicitly that an animal is not a person under California law, with final language to be determined. That discussion continued. 

DA Timm at one point argued that the “reasonable person” standard applicable to provocation means a reasonable “sober person” — a pointed reference, given that Combs’ intoxication at the time of the shooting has been established at trial. The distinction matters because the heat-of-passion defense asks jurors to measure Combs’ reaction against what an ordinary person would do under the same circumstances. By emphasizing sobriety, Timm is urging the jury not to factor Combs’ intoxicated state into that calculation — in other words, that being drunk is not an excuse for reacting the way he did.

Beyond those points of clarification, Judge Cockrum noted his “initial thoughts” about jury instructions related to determinations of self-defense. Judge Cockrum asserted that self-defense under California law applies to the defense of a person, and that a dog or animal does not qualify as a person. He characterized his remarks as tentative in regard to making formal jury instructions.

Among a few other jury instruction clarifications, an instruction referencing the prior trial finding Combs guilty was also addressed– Judge Cockrum noting that between Elias Antunez’s testimony and other moments in the proceedings, he speculated that the jury was already aware a prior trial took place. The cat, as the judge put it, may well be “out of the bag” as far as the jury is concerned.

Closing arguments and jury deliberations are expected pending resolution of the remaining instruction disputes Wednesday morning. 

Stock image taken at the Lamplighter Inn during a 2016 fire incident.

IN THE CASE OF: Harjinder & Surinder Heer – Wrongful Death at The Lamplighter

The father of a Humboldt County woman who died of carbon monoxide poisoning at The Lamplighter Motel has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the property’s owners. The civil lawsuit alleges that the owners ‘chose profits over safety’ even after a similar death occurred just five days earlier at the location.

Samantha Hanna, 36, died on February 26, 2026 in a room at the Lamplighter Motel at 4033 Broadway in Eureka. She was found with three times the lethal dose of carbon monoxide in her system, according to her family’s attorney. No carbon monoxide detector was present in the room.

She was not the first death on the property, or even in that same room – according to the wrongful death complaint. 

Five days before Samantha Hanna’s death, a 37-year-old woman had died in the very same room, under nearly identical circumstances. A second occupant was transported to the hospital. The owners were contacted, and city code enforcement and building officials responded. When fire crews responded to the February 26 call, some personnel began showing symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure themselves. Atmospheric monitoring confirmed dangerously elevated levels in the room.

And still, according to the lawsuit, the room remained available, listed as open to new guests.

The civil lawsuit, filed April 1 by the father of the decedent, Samuel Hanna of Provo, Utah, names motel owners Harjinder K. Heer and Surinder S. Heer as defendants. The complaint describes the deaths as the direct result of the owners’ “reckless and inexcusable failure to provide even the most basic life-safety protections for guests” and alleges they “chose profits over safety and continued to expose guests to a known deadly hazard.”

The motel had also been cited for safety violations during a Humboldt Bay Fire annual inspection in July 2025. California law requires working carbon monoxide detectors in all hotel and motel rooms with gas appliances. The Lamplighter has remained shuttered since February 26.

The complaint brings three causes of action –  negligence, premises liability, and a survival action on behalf of the late Samantha Hanna’s estate –  but also seeks punitive damages, alleging the owners had “actual notice of the dangerous condition” and did not remedy it.

The complaint reads in part, “Defendants failed to shut down the room and/or motel in time, failed to identify and eliminate the source of the carbon monoxide…and continued to operate or allow operation of the Premises in conscious disregard of human life and safety.”

The Heers have not yet responded to the complaint and have not yet retained counsel of record, according to the case details available. 

A separate criminal investigation by the Eureka Police Department is ongoing.

The next hearing in September is a Case Management Conference-  a check-in date for the court, making sure that the parties are communicating effectively so that the case moves forward as smoothly as possible. 

IN THE CASE OF: Sebastion Hockett – Possible Plea on Sex Crimes

Sebastion Hockett, Booking Photo 2023

A 32-year-old Briceland man accused of sexually abusing two young children faces a deadline Wednesday that could determine whether his case goes to trial next week or ends in a plea deal.

The prosecution has extended a plea offer that expires today – Wednesday, May 13, at close of business. The terms of that offer are not yet made public. Defense attorney Luke Brownfield has until end of day to convey Hockett’s decision. 

Sebastion John Hockett has been held in the Humboldt County Jail since March 2023– for more than three years – on nine felony counts related to alleged sex crimes against children. 

Those allegations include repeated acts of “oral copulation and sexual penetration involving children ten years old and younger” and “lewd acts upon children under 14” – as well as possession of child pornography. A special allegation attached to the case carries a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life if he is convicted.

According to the third amended complaint filed by the District Attorney’s Office, the alleged offenses span multiple years and involved two child victims identified in court documents as Jane Doe 1, born in 2010, and Jane Doe 2, also born in 2010. (Victims under the age of 18 are referred to as Jane or John Doe to protect their anonymity in the case, in an effort to guard against exploitation or future harm related to their testimony in the matter.)

Prosecutors allege Hockett, who was over 18 at the time, “did willfully and unlawfully engage in oral copulation and sexual penetration” with Jane Doe 1 on multiple occasions between 2020 and 2022. A separate count involves Jane Doe 2 and stems from an alleged assault in Stanislaus County that was transferred to Humboldt for prosecution. The filed complaint alleged Hockett “took advantage of a position of trust or confidence to commit the offense.”

Counsel agreed Tuesday on the terms of a long-form jury questionnaire, which the court approved. If no deal is reached, jury selection is scheduled to begin soon.

Hockett has been held without the possibility of posting bail since his arrest. He is represented by the Public Defender’s Office. Assistant DA Carolyn Schaffer is prosecuting for the People. Judge Steven Steward is presiding.

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

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

EARLIER:

• Mercer-Fraser Allegedly Violates Conservation Terms, Defendant Takes Stand in Combs Murder Retrial, and More Inside Humboldt Courts
• Chop Shop Felon Heads to Prison, Alleged Would-Be Cop Killer Awaits Trial, Combs Murder Retrial Continues: Inside Humboldt Courts
• Inside Humboldt Courts: Combs Retrial Continues; Cal Poly Peeping Tom Back in Court; Elder Abuse Alleged at Arcata Drug House
• Inside Humboldt Courts: Murder Retrial Opens in Jake Combs Case as Jury Hears Graphic Testimony; Judge Denies New Trial in Child Abuse Conviction
• Inside Humboldt Courts: Murder Retrial Advances, Nordic Case Nears Settlement, and Double Homicide Defendants Sentencing Set
• Inside Humboldt Courts: Trials Pending, Healthcare Scrutinized, Alleged Pedophilia & More
• Inside Humboldt Courts: Courthouse Arsonist Deemed Incompetent, Disbarred Attorney No-Show, and a WinCo Robbery Trial Heads to June 
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