Summary
Name:
Jessica DutroYears Active:
2012Status:
ImprisonedClass:
MurdererVictims:
1Method:
Blunt force traumaNationality:
USASummary: Murderer
Name:
Jessica DutroStatus:
ImprisonedVictims:
1Method:
Blunt force traumaNationality:
USAYears Active:
2012Date Convicted:
April 18, 2014“Parents are supposed to protect their kids. And you were the most dangerous thing in your kids’ lives.”
— Jessica Dutro
Jessica Dutro was born in 1988. Public news reports and court records list that birth year.
As an adult she lived in Tigard, in Washington County, Oregon. Local coverage identified her as a Tigard resident.
She was a mother of several young children. Reports mention she lived with a boyfriend and the children.
Her family included parents and sisters. Those relatives later became caregivers for her children, according to news coverage.
There is little publicly available, detailed information about her childhood, schooling, or early upbringing beyond what is reported in news and court records.
On August 14, 2012, emergency crews took four-year-old Zachary Dutro-Boggess to a Portland hospital after he was found unresponsive at the Good Neighbor Center, a family homeless shelter in Tigard, Oregon. Doctors said he was taken off life support two days later.
Police arrested Zachary’s mother, Jessica Dutro, two days after he was taken to the hospital. Her boyfriend, Brian Canady, was also charged. Prosecutors said the child had been beaten and that Zachary’s injuries were caused by abdominal trauma.
Prosecutors told the court that Dutro believed her son was gay and that this belief was a motive for the abuse. Evidence included a Facebook message from Dutro saying, "He walks and talks like it. Ugh." and that Canady would have to "work on" Zachary.
Doctors testified that Zachary had severe abdominal injuries and other wounds that showed repeated abuse. They said delay in getting medical help led to infection and shock. Doctors also examined his siblings. The three-year-old brother had five broken ribs and many bruises. The seven-year-old sister had bruises on her back, chest, hips, and buttocks. The baby was not found to have been abused.
The seven-year-old sister told police she had seen Dutro and Canady hit Zachary. Canady later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault. He was sentenced to about 12.5 years in prison and agreed to testify in the case. Neither Canady nor Dutro may have contact with Zachary’s siblings.
A Washington County jury found Jessica Dutro guilty of murder, murder by abuse, and second-degree assault. On April 18, 2014, she was sentenced to life in prison. Under state law and the court’s ruling, she will be eligible for parole after 25 years.
