Humboldt County man gets nearly 141 years for Eureka double killing
A nearly 141-year sentence closed the Eureka double-killing case that left Jennifer Paddock and Danny García dead and their 4-year-old daughter unhurt.
Humboldt County Superior Court imposed a nearly 141-year prison sentence on Russell Martin Albers in the 2022 killings of Jennifer Paddock and Danny García, leaving their 4-year-old daughter alive but orphaned. At sentencing in Humboldt County court, relatives spoke about the killings, and the judge noted that Albers had chances to avoid the violence before the case ended.
The case began shortly after midnight on Dec. 27, 2022, when Humboldt County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched at about 12:12 a.m. to a residence on the 4000 block of Crane Street in Eureka’s Pine Hill area. The response came after a 9-1-1 call in which yelling and a child screaming were heard in the background. Deputies learned while en route that a shooting had occurred at the home, and the child inside was rescued unharmed.
Albers was 41 at the time and fled after the shooting. Deputies spotted him later that day in McKinleyville, where he drove off in a Toyota Tundra, leading officers on a pursuit along Interstate 101 through Arcata and Trinidad. The chase reached speeds of 100 mph and included wrong-way driving before he was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon.
The criminal case moved through a series of early court proceedings before sentencing. He initially pleaded not guilty to all counts and faced 11 counts in the case. Albers faced as much as 148 years to life.
By July 2026, Humboldt County Superior Court imposed a prison term of nearly 141 years.
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