SALEM — More than three years after a Swampscott woman’s remains washed up on King’s Beach in Swampscott, the man accused of the slaying pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Friday.
Jason Fleury will spend the next 17 years in MCI-Cedar Junction, a maximum security prison in Walpole, for killing 25-year-old Jaimee Mendez.
In a plea deal with Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, the 39-year-old Lynn native avoided a trail that could have resulted in a life sentence without parole.
The victim’s extended family, who delivered dramatic victim impact statements in Salem Superior Court, told Judge Thomas Drechsler they were unhappy with the arrangement.
“Your honor, you are being asked to make a deal with the devil,” said Alyssa Mendez, the victim’s older sister as she fought back tears. “Fleury got a deal. Where’s the deal for Jaimee?”
Assistant District Attorney John Brennan laid out the timeline of the murder that occurred on Nov. 6, 2014. He testified prosecutors had evidence linking Fleury to the murder including surveillance video that showed the two of them getting in an out of his Dodge van at the Rite Aid on Lewis Street in Lynn.
He said investigators found a rug and a passenger side door panel from the defendant’s van that had been tossed in a dumpster with Mendez’s blood. He said Fleury later admitted to discarding the items.
Brennan said the victim made two separate calls telling friends she was with Fleury, was scared, and described the perpetrator as “coked out.”
Because only skeletal remains were recovered, Brennan said an autopsy could not determine the cause of death.
Steven Mendez, the victim’s father, spoke for his 9-year-old autistic grandson, Jayson, who, he said, misses his mother.
“I am confused and have questions, like where did my mother go, why is she no longer taking me to the park, is it my fault, does she still love me?” he said as family members sobbed.
“Everyone tells me she is heaven and is an angel now, I don’t know what that means. What’s an angel and where is heaven? Can someone explain it to me? My mom was the only person in this world who knew who I am and the only person that made me feel safe.”
Beatrice Mendez, the victim’s aunt, who held large photos of her niece as she spoke, said it is impossible to describe in a few minutes what she feels.
“That scum wanted to have sex with Jaimee and when she refused, he raped and killed her and dumped her into the ocean, threw her away like she was trash,” she said. “His plan was to be the silent killer who walked among you waiting for the opportunity to kill again.”
Danielle Murray, another aunt, said Fleury had no idea what he took from the family.
“I believe in God and He tells us to be forgiving and I do,” she said. “I don’t want to keep that hate inside me, Jaimee would not want that.”
Last weekend, the DA’s office confirmed new remains found on King’s Beach belonged to Mendez. Previously, remains belonging to Mendez were found tangled in lobster traps in January, 2015, after months of searching.
Following the hearing, Blodgett issued a statement on the sentencing and manslaughter deal with Fleury’s lawyer, Michael Phelan.
“I recognize that there is no justice today for Jaimee’s friends and family,” Blodgett said. “There is no term of years or specific outcome that can bring her back or restore their tremendous loss. Given the strengths and weaknesses of our case, this plea represents a fair result.”