Charge reduced in deadly Tucson road rage case

A criminal charge in a deadly Tucson road rage incident in March has been reduced from second degree murder to manslaughter.

Jason Jameson, 41, was initially arrested on suspicion of murder after a heated argument in traffic on Tucson’s far northeast side resulted in Jeffrey Honer, 47, being shot and killed.

“We were very dismayed and upset,” said Jerimiah Honer, the deceased’s brother who attended the preliminary hearing Monday in Pima County Justice Court in which the charge was reduced.

“Given the actions Mr. Jameson has made, making false claims of self-defense and making accusations that are different from what the evidence would indicate, it’s very upsetting for us,” he said.

Fellow sibling Kenneth Honer, who was also at the hearing, said it was emotionally draining to have to sit through the five-hour long hearing and have Jameson’s sentence reduced at the end of it. He said tears were coming down his face at one point and he was having trouble breathing.

“It’s the biggest fear at the moment,” Kenneth said. “I wake up afraid that he will escape justice. Literally every morning I wake up to that.”

The Pima County Attorney’s office said in a statement saying it was the judge’s decision to move forward with the lesser charge.

Jameson, a Navy veteran, is accused of firing a shot into Honer’s back as the latter was walking away after Jameson struck him during a traffic dispute, court documents say. Honer, a doctor who was on his way to administer treatment in a patient’s home, died at the scene despite life-saving efforts by Jameson and the two nurses he was traveling with.

“Jameson shot my husband in the back as he was walking away from him (and) evidence clearly suggests that he was far away from him,” Alyssa Honer said about her husband’s encounter after her attendance at Monday’s hearing.

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“He’s angry enough to kill a person at 11 o’clock in the morning. It is scary to think that Mr. Jameson is out there thinking that he did nothing wrong, that he had no other choice.”

Jameson says Honer was the aggressor and struck him, according to prior statements his attorney, Josh Hamilton, has made to media and law enforcement. They intend to plead not guilty at the trial, Hamilton said.

“Indeed, he (Jameson) is not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing here,” Hamilton said in a written statement to the Star. “Mr. Jameson is a loving husband and father, a Naval veteran who has spent his entire life dedicated to service of the country.”

“The facts and evidence in this case will demonstrate that he made a split-second decision to defend himself in a rapidly-evolving, alarming and uncertain situation,” Hamilton said in his statement. “His actions were justified and in conformity with Arizona law.”

The sole witness at the hearing said Jameson has made statements on how he heard Honer say he was going to get a gun. However, the witness, an investigator in the case, said no gun was found on Honer, in the car he drove nor in the desert near where the incident occurred.

“He (Jameson) had plenty of choices,” said Alyssa Honer. “Don’t provoke in the first place, don’t brake check other people, don’t be violent. Don’t pull out a gun and murder someone when they’re walking away from you. This isn’t accidental behavior.”

Horner, who said she is pro-gun, said gun-related violence like this one gives owners a bad name. Guns are supposed to be used for protection and not for asserting dominance over other people, she said.

“One of the hardest things for me and my family is that there’s just no remorse from this person,” Alyssa said. “He shot my husband to kill. But all he’s done since then is lie and claim he’s a victim. And this is incredibly hard to see and read when he took everything away from us.”

The trial date is pending.