Life in prison, with the possibility of parole in 20 years, was the sentence given to Jerry E. Hudson, 50, for his conviction in the home invasion, sexual assault and subsequent murder of 64-year old Carol Hullinger in Caliente, on May 24, 2015.
The sentencing, originally set for Aug. 24, was delayed until mid-October. Sentence was passed by Judge Gary Fairman on Oct. 18, 2018, in the 7th Judicial Court in Pioche.
Part of the reason for the delay was because newly-elected District Attorney Dylan Frehner, who was Hudson’s defense lawyer, had to recuse himself from the case because of the obvious conflict of interest.
In the meantime, Richard Sears of Ely was appointed as defense attorney, and former Lincoln County District Attorney Daniel Hooge, the original prosecutor, again served as prosecutor for the state with Joshua Miller representing the Nevada Division of Parole and Probation. Hooge did not seek the death penalty.
The life sentence handed down on Count 1, murder with a deadly weapon upon an older/vulnerable person, has a parole eligibility after a minimum of term of eight years. Hudson is to be given credit for the time he has already served in the Lincoln County Detention Center since his arrest in 2015.
The life sentence given for Count II, the conviction of sexual assault upon an older/vulnerable person, allows for eligibility for parole after a minimum of 10 years.
However, the court ordered that the minimum aggregate term of imprisonment on both counts be 20 years, with the maximum aggregate term of life in the Nevada Department of Corrections.
Carol Hullinger was found dead in her Caliente apartment on May 24, 2015, when a Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy was making a routine welfare check of the residence.
