Teen gets 25 years for killing friend

Questions swirled around a Snohomish County courtroom Tuesday seeking the answer to why a Seattle teenager participated in the brutal beating and stabbing death of a friend and classmate.

There were few solid answers.

In the end, Superior Court Judge Ellen Fair sentenced Joshua Goldman, 19, to 25 years behind bars.

“No explanation will provide much measure of comfort to John Jasmer’s family and friends,” Fair said. “In the end, we’re left with a shocking murder, and we’re left with more questions than answers.”

Goldman pleaded guilty in August to first-degree murder in Jasmer’s death. He and co-defendant Jenson Hankins lured Jasmer to an isolated spot on the Tulalip Indian Reservation on Aug. 21, 2003, where they attacked and killed him. Then they buried him in a grave they had dug the day before.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

A jury convicted Hankins of first-degree murder last week; he will be sentenced in December. All three were students at Seattle’s Roosevelt High School.

Goldman, who was 17 at the time of the murder, tearfully read a statement and could offer no explanations for his actions.

“I’m truly sorry,” he said. “John didn’t deserve this. I can’t explain why I committed this terrible crime.”

Goldman apologized to the Jasmer family and to his own family. His father is a Marysville police officer.

In accordance with a plea agreement, deputy prosecutor Ed Stemler recommended a 22-year prison term, the minimum. A pre-sentencing report recommended 24 years, and the most Fair could have imposed was a little less than 29 years.

Defense attorney Max Harrison argued long and hard for the judge to stick to the low end.

In his long career as a defense lawyer, Harrison said he has never been involved in a case in which the questions absolutely defy explanation, Harrison told the judge.

Perhaps the murder came out of a twisted sense of justice, he said, because Hankins’ girlfriend had reported that Jasmer had sexually assaulted her two months before the murder. Maybe the fact that Goldman was involved in playing violent video games contributed to it.

Goldman also had a need to be accepted by Hankins, and he lived in a kind of a fantasy world, Harrison said.

“Josh Goldman has zero insight into why this occurred,” he added.

Perhaps the most eloquent words came from the victim’s mother, Donna Jasmer, who recalled Goldman laughing and hanging out at her home in happier times. She noted that the teen walked into the courtroom dressed in orange jail garb, not street clothes, and wished it could have been otherwise.

She also thanked Goldman for leading police to her son’s grave. It was so well hidden it may never have been found if he hadn’t done so. Still, she wanted the judge to impose the minimum sentences plus two years for the “pain and suffering” of the family.

“I wish I could say I hate him,” she said. ” I don’t.”

Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Oliver Popa, 7, poses with his book, "Drippey Plants a Garden," on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds 7-year-old publishes children’s book featuring ‘Drippey’ the bee

Oliver Popa’s first grade teacher said he should publish a longer version of a writing assignment. A year later, his mother — a publisher — helped made it happen.

Don Sharrett talks John Wrice through his trimming technique on Friday, March 14, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett barber school offers $5 haircuts — if you’re brave enough

Students get hands-on practice. Willing clients get a sweet deal.

Employees and patrons of the Everett Mall signed a timeline mural that traces the history of the 51-year-old indoor mall that was once considered the premier place to go shopping in the city. Thursday, March 20, 2025 (Aaron Kennedy / The Herald)
Mall mural offers nostalgic trip into the past

Past and present Everett Mall employees joined customers Thursday to view an artistic timeline of the once popular shopping mecca.

An estimated 4,000 people attended the "Hands Off!" rally in downtown Everett. Saturday, April 5, 2025 (Aaron Kennedy / The Herald)
Thousands gather in Everett to say ‘Hands Off!’ to Trump

Elected officials join community members to speak at the Snohomish County campus, one of more than 1,400 protests across the world.

Artist and science communicator Jill Pelto to host 1st art show

New pieces will highlight glaciers, part of the Skykomish and Nooksack watersheds.

Founder and director of New Moon Farm Sanctuary Ellen Felsenthal pets Clara Bow-er, a boer goat that was a part of a larger rescue from Yelm on Thursday, April 3, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Arlington sanctuary gives new life to goats

The sanctuary recently rescued nine goats from Yelm and is nursing the animals back to health.

Bill France poses in one of his custom flat caps after asking his wife, Sarah France, to snap a photo.
Victim advocate dies at 83, leaving a lasting legacy

Bill France, who fought Parkinson’s until the end, was known for his tireless work in victim advocacy.

Search to continue Saturday for missing 21-year-old Arlington man

Jonathan Hoang has been missing since Sunday evening. He was last seen wearing a green shirt, khaki pants, and black slip-on shoes, and possibly carrying his iPad.

Ash Roberts, left, and Wryly T McCutchen, right, browse for book at the Everett Public Library on Thursday, April 3, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘It’s being killed’: Federal grant termination hits SnoCo libraries

A federal agency terminated a $3.9 million grant Wednesday that funds library and museum programs across Washington.

Lynnwood
11-year-old tried to stab student in Lynnwood school, deputies say

The child is still at large, the sheriff’s office said, but there is no active threat to the students or staff at the school.

Nichole Webber: Drawing up plays for athletes and politics

The communications director for the city of Everett believes leadership is rooted in honesty, integrity and selfless commitment to others.

2025 Emerging Leader Natalie Given (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Natalie Given: Building trust and communicating concerns

Everett Police Department’s Public Information Officer builds relationship and better communication.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.