Bio

Jesse Clarence Pratt was born on July 4, 1934. He grew up in the United States. Jesse Pratt became involved in the trucking business and eventually owned a trucking company based in Seattle, Washington. He employed several people, including Carrie L. Love, who would later become his victim. 

Murder Story

On June 16, 1986, Jesse Clarence Pratt killed Carrie L. Love in Klamath County, Oregon. Pratt was the owner of a trucking company in Seattle, and Love was an employee who had agreed to accompany him on a work trip to Los Angeles. Concerns arose during the trip as Love worried about potential sexual advances from Pratt.

After they left Seattle, on June 17, a passerby discovered items belonging to Love, including her purse and identification, in a ditch beside Highway 97. The police were notified, and the next day, they found Love's naked body at a truck turnout along the highway. Investigators determined that she had been stabbed, asphyxiated, and then run over by a vehicle.

Following his arrest, Pratt made several statements to police. He initially claimed that he had sex with Love at a truck stop and said he had arranged for her to fly to Los Angeles afterward. However, he later confessed to others that he had killed her.

Jesse Pratt was charged with aggravated murder. During the trial, evidence of his violent past was presented, including instances of violence against women. On February 22, 1988, he was sentenced to death for Love's murder. His conviction and sentence were upheld on appeal, making him the oldest inmate on Death Row in Oregon.