A Pennsylvania man received a life sentence without parole, plus an additional 25 to 80 years in prison, for the murder of a Michigan woman who tried to escape his home.
Jason Race, 45, of Wilkes-Barre, was sentenced on June 2 after pleading guilty on March 25 to first-degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, misuse of a body, and related crimes. As part of his plea agreement, Race waived his right to appeal and was credited with 815 days of time already served.
The case began in February 2023, when Nicole Cuevas (also known as Cuevas-Ingram in court filings) and Desiree Linnette, 45, drove from Michigan to Wilkes-Barre. According to court papers, Cuevas eventually expressed a desire to return home but was instead kidnapped and abused by several people inside a nearby home.
Cuevas was chained to a basement post for several weeks, during which time she was repeatedly assaulted, stabbed, cut, kicked, and strangled. Cuevas attempted to flee the house in April 2023, and Race killed her by stepping on her head. Her body was buried in a shallow grave inside the basement and was not discovered by authorities until February 2024.
Race also entered a no-contest plea to charges of assaulting another individual, Anthony Cook, in the same basement. Cook managed to escape through a basement window. He later told investigators that Race, Linnette, and two unnamed drug dealers accused him of touching an 8-year-old child who had allegedly witnessed the torture of Cuevas.
Debra Fox owned the residence where authorities discovered Cuevas, and four other suspects are facing charges in connection with it. Fox was also slain later, though authorities said Race had nothing to do with her death.
In April 2026, codefendant Sarai Doyle, who is Linnette’s daughter, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and charges linked to Fox’s homicide. Linnette also entered a guilty plea in April for the deaths of Cuevas and Fox. Two other individuals charged in connection with Cuevas’ death, Faith Beamer and William Benjamin Wolf, are currently awaiting trial.
Following Linnette’s plea, Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce spoke about the pending judicial procedures.
“Until the last of the defendants’ cases is resolved, both the Wilkes-Barre city police and the District Attorney’s Office continue to press on,” Sanguedolce told reporters.
Leave a Reply