On October 5, 2023, Austin Scheid, then 22 years old, called 911 to report he had killed two people. Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s officers met Scheid near the Sonoita home of his father and stepmother. Gregory Scheid, father of Austin, and Jamie Scheid, his stepmother, were found in the home. Gregory was declared dead at the scene and Jamie was transported to a hospital where she later died. Austin Scheid’s vehicle was smeared with blood, his clothes were blood , and a bloody knife was found in the vehicle. A search of Austin Scheid’s Tucson home netted a journal that allegedly detailed his plans to kill his father and stepmother. He was charged with two counts of first degree murder as well as other charges and imprisoned on a $2 million bond.
Since that time the case has been taking a slow march through the Santa Cruz County legal system. Following a mental health evaluation in January, 2024, Scheid was deemed competent to stand trial under what is known as “Rule 11.” Rule 11 requires that a defendant be able to understand the charges against him and assist his counsel in his defence. It does not determine larger mental health issues. In April of that year Scheid entered a plea of not guilty to all charges.
Scheid has a history of mental health issues and was at one time committed to a mental health crisis center in Tucson. These records are not available to the public but were obtained by Scheid’s attorney, Charles Spector. Spector obtained a court order to have Scheid examined, along with his records, pertaining to whether he was insane at the time of the incident under Rule 11.8. Rule 11.8 does not address the defendant’s fitness for trial; rather it probes the defendant’s mental health at the time of the incident.
Following the mental health evaluations, Judge Pro Tempore Vanessa Cartwright, along with the prosecution, was advised in October 2025 that the defense might raise a defence of guilty but insane at time of trial. If found guilty but insane, Scheid could be sentenced to a mental hospital for the same length of time that he would have gone to prison following a finding of guilty.
With a trial date looming in February, 2026, the parties reached a plea agreement accepted by the court that will result in Scheid spending 32 years in prison followed by additional time on probation.
At the sentencing hearing on Thursday at Santa Cruz County Superior Court in Nogales, family and friends of Gregory and Jamie Scheid filled the side of the courtroom behind prosecutor Matthew Cannon. On the opposite side, Austin Scheid sat alone with his attorneys. No one sat behind him to offer support. Scheid, clad in an orange jumpsuit covered by a bulletproof vest, appeared thin and pale. Four sheriff’s deputies, three in bulletproof vests, stood around the defense table.
Family members spoke with the PRT before entering the courtroom. Their feelings ranged from wishing Austin was getting either a life sentence without parole or the death penalty to some understanding of Austin’s mental health problems. One family member expressed regret at not having realized what was happening with Austin and wondering if he could have made a difference.
Two victim impact statements were read expressing sorrow, pain, and anger about the murder of Gregory and Jamie. Prosecutor Cannon spoke briefly and expressed that the plea agreement “was not the outcome the State would have preferred.” Defense attorney Charles Spector did not offer a statement. When offered the opportunity to speak, Austin Scheid replied, “I respectfully decline.”
In her remarks, Judge Cartwright stated that she found the murders “purposeful and incredibly brutal.” She then proceeded to outline the plea agreement: Scheid agreed to a plea of guilty to two counts of second degree murder, as well as the other pending charges. He was sentenced to 16 years on each of the two murder counts with those to run consecutively. The judge commented that the heinousness of the crime warranted the sentences running consecutively rather than concurrently, resulting in a sentence of 32 years in prison.
In addition Scheid will be subject to seven years of intensively supervised probation following his release, followed by another seven years of additional probation. He is also ordered to pay restitution of nearly $9,000. He is not eligible for early release. Given time served, this means he cannot be released prior 2056 at which time he will be 54 years old.
Scheid was led away and family and friends began to exit the courtroom. No one left happy. Two people are dead and a young man will spend much of his life behind bars. There were no winners.