An Oregon man was sentenced to 34 years in prison this week after he pleaded guilty to gunning down a man who threw a sandwich at his car and then tried to kill the only witness to the murder.

Jacob Fitzgerald, 24, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, attempted first degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, burlary, and robbery in three separate cases, beginning with the August 6, 2022, slaying of his friend, Otis Abner, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said.

According to the DA’s office, Fitzgerald, his girlfriend at the time, and Abner were in a car when the two men began arguing. Fitzgerald stopped the car and ordered Abner out, then started to drive away. But when Abner threw a sandwich and hit Fitzgerald’s car, he stopped the vehicle and fired multiple shots at his friend, killing him.

Then he drove away and burned the vehicle.

Police were called to the scene and found seven empty shell casings and collected surveillance footage from several businesses.

It’s not clear, however, why Fitzgerald was free 18 months later, on February 11, 2024, when he went to his now-ex-girlfriend’s home, where she was living with her new boyfriend, and fired multiple shots at the trailer, striking her in the face and the arm.

“He’s a dangerous man who left a trail of destruction over the last few years. This is an unusually high sentence for a plea agreement but is just given the circumstances,” Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Andrew MacMillan said.

Two days prior to that attack, The Oregonian said, the girlfriend, identified as Ryan Smith, called police and said that Fitzgerald was hunting her. Then, on the 11th, Fitzgerald and his sister Joanna came to the trailer where she lived and forced the door open while Smith desperately called 911. Fitzgerald opened fire and again fled with his sister.

Smith was taken to a hospital and survived her injuries. Fitzgerald and his sister were arrested more than a month after the incident.

Joanna Fitzgerald was charged with attempted murder, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, and burglary and is set to appear in court this week.

According to the Oregonian, the guilty plea includes an armed robbery that took place before  Jacob Fitzgerald’s March 18, 2024, arrest and a hit-and run in 2021.

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[Featured image: Jacob Fitzgerald/Multnomah County Jail]