Nestor Hernandez Melgar Sentencing: Date, Status & What to Know

Nestor Hernandez Melgar was convicted on June 22, 2026, in the death of his girlfriend, Lindsay Geary, 37, of Everett. His sentencing is scheduled for July 22, 2026, in Snohomish County Superior Court. As of July 15, 2026, no sentence has been imposed — the judge will decide at that hearing. We will update this page with the result.

When is Nestor Hernandez Melgar’s sentencing?

His sentencing is set for July 22, 2026, in Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. The conviction is already final; the sentence itself has not been handed down. We will update this page on the same web address once the court rules. No hearing time or courtroom has been confirmed here.

What was he convicted of?

On June 22, 2026, after a four-week trial, a jury found him guilty on all counts. That means three offenses: (1) first-degree murder, (2) first-degree burglary, and (3) violation of a court order — the domestic-violence no-contact order in place at the time. Each of the three offenses carried a special domestic-violence aggravator. To be precise, this is three offenses, each with an aggravator — not four separate charges, and the aggravator is not a standalone crime.

What sentence could he face under Washington law?

We are not predicting a number, and no sentence has been announced. In general terms: first-degree murder is a Class A felony in Washington. Sentences follow the state’s Sentencing Reform Act, which sets a standard range based on the offense and the offender’s criminal-history score. Because the jury returned domestic-violence aggravator findings, the law permits the court to consider an exceptional sentence above the standard range. The actual sentence is the judge’s to decide at the July 22 hearing.

What happens next?

At the July 22, 2026 hearing, the court will impose a sentence. Because Melgar has been convicted, the presumption of innocence no longer applies — but the length and terms of the sentence remain entirely the court’s to set within the law. Once the judge rules, we will update this page — same web address — with the outcome.

The case, in short

Lindsay Geary was found on the bathroom floor of her Madison Street apartment in Everett the night of Nov. 16, 2024, a rope nearby. Melgar, her boyfriend, called 911 to report that she had hanged herself, but prosecutors argued the scene was staged. According to the Herald’s reporting, he called Geary’s mother and his own mother before calling 911 and took more than 90 seconds to open the door for arriving officers.

The forensic picture was unusual. The medical examiner — whose report took seven months — listed the cause of death as asphyxia due to ligature compression but ruled the manner of death “undetermined,” neither homicide nor suicide. Melgar’s DNA was not found on Geary’s neck or under her fingernails. Prosecutors argued the 7.5-foot rope was too long for the hanging as he described it. Court records reported by the Herald put Geary’s blood-alcohol content at .228. A draft message resembling a suicide note — a dream about the relief of death — was discovered on Geary’s phone on Dec. 27, 2025, per the Herald, more than a year after her death; who wrote it, or when, cannot be known.

The relationship had a documented history: an active domestic-violence no-contact order issued about two months before her death, an Everett police call roughly eight days earlier over an alleged attempted break-in, and multiple prior domestic-dispute contacts, even as the couple reportedly stayed in touch. The case was tried by the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office, with deputy prosecuting attorney Toni Montgomery; Melgar was represented by Snohomish County Public Defenders Catherine Bentley and Allison Hunter. He did not testify, and the defense rested without presenting evidence.

For the full story, see our complete coverage of the Lindsay Geary case and our trial analysis. Tracking other hearings? Check the court calendar.

If you or someone you know needs support: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) · National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788) · RAINN 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Sources

• HeraldNet (Ian Davis-Leonard), “Jury convicts man in Everett murder staged as suicide,” June 22, 2026.
• Snohomish County Superior Court record.
• Last verified: July 15, 2026.