Nestor Hernandez Melgar Sentencing: Life in Prison in the Lindsay Geary Case

On July 22, 2026, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Cindy Larsen sentenced him to life in prison on the aggravated first-degree murder count, plus a concurrent 34-month term for first-degree burglary. His convictions for first-degree murder and violation of a court order were vacated on double-jeopardy grounds. He had 30 days from sentencing to appeal.

What sentence did Nestor Hernandez Melgar receive?

He was sentenced on the afternoon of July 22, 2026, in Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett. Judge Cindy Larsen imposed life in prison on the aggravated first-degree murder count. Under RCW 10.95.030, an adult convicted of aggravated first-degree murder in Washington is sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of release or parole. A 34-month sentence for first-degree burglary runs concurrently.

What was he convicted of?

The Herald’s sentencing report lists four charges: aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, and violation of a court order — each carrying a special domestic-violence aggravator. At sentencing, Judge Larsen vacated the first-degree murder and court-order convictions on double-jeopardy grounds, leaving the aggravated murder count and burglary count as the sentenced convictions.

What happens next?

Sentencing is complete. Hernandez Melgar had 30 days from July 22, 2026, to appeal his convictions.

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, “Life sentence for man convicted of girlfriend’s 2024 murder in Everett,” July 22, 2026.
• RCW 10.95.030.
• Last verified: July 30, 2026.

Updated July 30, 2026: This page originally described sentencing as pending and described three counts. It now reflects the July 22, 2026 sentencing and the four-count structure reported by The Herald.