Earl Orr held to answer on murder charge and special allegation regarding Jessica Hare

The preliminary hearing for Earl Orr continued today for the second day. The hearing was in Courtroom 4 before Judge Timothy Cissna.

Orr is charged with the murder of Jessica Hare with a special allegation that he discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury to Hare.

Deputy District Attorney Stacey Eads is prosecuting the case. Orr is being represented by Mr. Russell Clanton.

Yesterday, two witnesses testified. Miranda resident Thomas Lusk, who claims he was an eye witness to the shooting and testified that Orr shot Hare and said she is dead. According to Lusk, Orr killed Hare because she rejected his request for  a date and told him she was a lesbian and had a partner.

The other witness was HCSO's Detective Todd Fulton who said Orr was seen with a gun by witnesses. Detective Fulton continued his testimony this morning.

This Thomas Lusk is not the Miranda man charged with 6 felonies including torture, rape, false imprisonment, oral copulation of a female victim he met and invited back to his house. That Thomas Lusk has prior conviction of terroristic threats.


Update:

The victim in the homicide has been identified as 47-year-old Jessica Jane Hare from Phillipsville. The victim and suspect knew each other prior to the shooting. An autopsy has been scheduled for Saturday, May 2, 2015.

Original HCSO release:

On 04-25-2015, at about 8:30 p.m., the Sheriff's Office received a call from a citizen reporting there was a gunshot victim at a residence on the 400 block of Phillipsville Loop Road in Phillipsville.

Deputies responded to the scene, along with officers from the California Highway Patrol. Deputies located the victim who was pronounced deceased at the scene.

After speaking with witnesses, deputies learned the suspect, Earl C. Orr, 59, of Phillipsville, had been in possession of a firearm and was present with the victim just prior to the shooting. After the shooting, Orr abruptly left the scene.

On 04-26-2015, at about 7:30 a.m., Deputies served a search warrant at Orr's residence in Phillipsville. Deputies located Orr at his residence and he was taken into custody. Deputies also seized several firearms from Orr's residence. Orr was later taken to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility and booked for the charge of homicide. Orr's bail was set at $1,000,000.00.