Jason's 39th Birthday!

Today, Jason would have been 39 years old. Every year that another birthday passes, my heart breaks knowing his dreams for his life with Lindsay were never fulfilled. I have so many memories of our childhood together and many of them make me laugh! He was so funny and full of energy and we had so much fun together! We used our imaginations to come up with fun games. We spent a lot of time outdoors. Lately, people around here have been looking for morel mushrooms because, apparently, they are really delicious. (I wouldn't know, as I don't like mushrooms AT ALL... haha!) I remember finding them out in the woods with Jason and we would stomp on them because we thought they were poisonous. I still remember how it felt to squish them, and it cracks me up! :) So every time I see a morel mushroom, I think of Jason. Just one of many memories that make me smile. Our childhood was idyllic, and I am so grateful for that! That is why his death absolutely broke my heart, because our early years together meant so much to me. I treasured my childhood with him and our other neighborhood friends. His tragic death cast a shadow over my memories for many years, but thankfully, God has removed that shadow and I can laugh and smile now as I remember those memories. God has been so good! He has touched so many hearts and changed so many lives through Jason & Lindsay's story.

Me & Jason at age 3

It is surreal and AMAZING to be able to write this now knowing the person responsible for killing them is in custody! I am enormously grateful to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department! I have so many questions as to why their killer (Shaun Gallon) did this. I'm not sure we'll ever find out, as it seems he does not have any empathy or remorse. If he did, he would have turned himself in long ago. Sadly, his evil nature led to him murdering his own brother too. I don't know what his brother was like... he could have been just as evil or he could have been the absolute opposite... or somewhere in between. But I am saddened that another person died at the hands of Jason & Lindsay's killer. That is exactly what I hoped and prayed would never happen. :( And that is why this is so bittersweet.

With that said, I am looking forward to seeing justice for Jason & Lindsay... if for nothing else than to give their families that closure, if there is such a thing. They already have the peace of knowing that Jason & Lindsay are safe in the physical presence of Jesus! No evil can ever touch them ever again. But it will sure be a huge blessing to see the person responsible for killing them to finally be held accountable for it! I hope he will someday feel remorse and turn to Jesus for forgiveness. Despite the evil crimes he has committed, God's grace even extends to him! But he needs to choose to turn from evil, and he's in it deep. There's no other way to heaven than to truly repent to Jesus and to receive the gift of salvation! I think it will take a lot for him to do that, but it's possible. Nothing will bring Jason & Lindsay back and Shaun Gallon's brother back, that is why it is important he faces justice now. I thank God that now he WILL!

I want to honor Jason today by remembering his legacy of faith and obedience to God. He chose to walk the straight and narrow and he lived his life in such a way that honored God. Perhaps that is why God allowed his death. God knew that this tragedy would turn our lives upside down, but He also knew that this would give us an eternal perspective. God knew that shining a light on the deep faith that Jason lived with would inspire people to follow Jesus. (This obviously applies to Lindsay's legacy as well.) God knew that the steadfast faith that Jason's family (as well as Lindsay's) would display in the aftermath of this enormous loss would challenge people to live with greater faith... and to understand that God can give us strength and peace that passes all understanding, even in the most heartbreaking of circumstances. And, most of all, God has shown that He is good, even when life is deeply painful. He was so very tangibly present in the raw grief... offering such a sense of peace and comfort when the devastation was so intense. I know that Jason would be humbled to know that his untimely death led people to turn to Jesus and experience Him in such powerful, life-changing ways. What Shaun Gallon meant for evil, God turned around for good. He brought beauty from the ashes.

To conclude, here is a beautiful message from Jason's parents:

With the developments of the past few days, Jason and Lindsay's legacy is once again in the forefront. It was always their desire to honor God with their lives and to be obedient to His calling. They surrendered their lives totally, to be used for His glory. Who knew that Christ would be honored not only in the way they lived their lives but also in their deaths? Only God knew. He knew that before they were born. They were faithful to the end.

I am reminded of Paul's desire to advance the gospel in any way God deemed best. In Philippians 1:20. Paul says:

"My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body whether by life or by death." (HCSB)

Jason, we, as your parents, are proud of you, and on May 16, we will celebrate the 26 years that God loaned you to us. Happy Birthday, son! We look forward to celebrating eternity with you.
Love, Mom and Dad

At long last!

All glory to God!

Wow, what a day! It is with enormous gratitude that I finally get to write about a real resolution to this case! I am in shock! I have to admit that, after all these years, justice on this side of heaven seemed next to impossible. I thought we would have to wait until heaven to have answers. But by God's amazing grace, answers came today!

I wasn't quite prepared to handle the news. I always imagined I'd be elated and jumping for joy... but with this news came a tidal wave of emotions. It was like bringing myself back to the day we got the news that Jason & Lindsay had been found murdered. It utterly breaks my heart, even to this day. It is so unnerving and devastating, and it doesn't make any more sense now than it did then! And now we have a face and a name to go with the faceless killer that has eluded justice all these years. It is amazing that this day has finally come, but it is overwhelming and bittersweet all at the same time. Surreal, to say the least!

I want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, all of the officers & detectives (and everyone else) from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department and other agencies for their tireless efforts to solve this case! It's been over 12 years and 8 months and they've been phenomenal! They've cared so deeply about getting justice for Jason & Lindsay. They never gave up and today their successful efforts have been made known! I am in complete awe!

Please keep the Allens and the Cutshalls in your prayers! Pray that Shaun Gallon pleads guilty so there's no need for a trial. If a trial becomes necessary, pray that the sheriff's department will have no trouble building a strong case, with or without his confession. Pray for Gallon's family. I don't know their character, but they're dealing with a whole other set of horrific realities. Most of all, pray thanks to God for the capture of this killer who will never be free to kill or hurt anyone else ever again!

Here is a transcript of the press conference from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department today:

Sheriff announces break in 2004 Jenner double murder case.

The Sheriff read the following statement at today's 10:30am press conference:

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I’m Steve Freitas, the Sheriff here in Sonoma County. I’d like to make a brief statement and then I will take some questions.

I’m pleased to announce that the Sheriff’s Office has made a major break-thru in the investigation surrounding the murders of Jason Allen and Lindsay Cutshall that took place in August, 2004 in Jenner.

Many of us will never forget when Sonoma County was rocked by the discovery of a young innocent couple found murdered on a secluded beach where they spent the night. Jason and Lindsay were just 26 and 22 years old at the time of their deaths. Jason, from Michigan, and Lindsay, from Ohio, were in California working at a Christian youth white water rafting camp in El Dorado County and were on a three day sight-seeing trip of the Northern California coast.

The Sheriff’s Office has identified Shaun Gallon, a 38-year-old resident of Forestville, as Jason and Lindsay’s killer. Gallon was recently arrested for the murder of his brother in their Forestville home. Gallon is well known to Sheriff’s Office Investigators, and early on in the Jenner murder investigation Gallon was a person of interest who detectives never ruled out as a possible suspect.

Upon Gallon’s arrest for the murder of his brother, Sheriff’s Office Detectives took another opportunity to talk to him about the murders in Jenner. Gallon made statements to the detectives with new information and additional investigative leads into the case. He had information about the killings that no other person could have known and we have located evidence that corroborates his information. Based on what detectives have been able to learn, we feel confident that we have Jason and Lindsay’s killer in custody.

Sheriff’s Office detectives are continuing to follow-up on leads and are working hard to complete the investigation. We will be presenting our report to the District Attorney’s Office in the near future. However, we are still encouraging anyone with information about this case and/or Shaun Gallon to contact our detectives. For that reason, we are releasing a photo of Shaun Gallon. Sergeant Crum has that picture for those who want it and it will be posted at the end of this press conference.

I’d like to a take moment to thank the other law enforcement agencies who assisted on this investigation over the years: The Santa Rosa Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, California State Parks and the California Department of Justice. Additionally, I want to thank the members of our community who have come forward with information on this case.

I also want to thank the many men and women of the Sheriff’s Office who have worked on this investigation over the years. I’m grateful to the dozens of detectives, from all of the Sheriff’s Office investigative units, who persistently and faithfully worked on this case for nearly 13 years. I wish I could name them all, but there are too many to list. I would like to acknowledge and thank the current investigative team: Lieutenant Tim Duke, Sgt. Shannon McAlvain, Lead Detective Joe Horsemen, Detectives Jeff Toney, Jayson Fowler and Jesse Hanshew.

This case is further proof that the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office will never give up in protecting our community and seeking justice for crime victims.

Most importantly I want to thank the Cutshall and Allen families, who have consistently been supportive and patient during this 13 year investigation. I’d like to read a statement from Bob and Delores Allen and Chris and Kathy Cutshall:

“We are extremely pleased that our children’s murderer is in custody where he belongs. We praise the Lord for his capture and we trust in the due process of the law. We would like to thank the heartfelt concern of the people of Jenner and Sonoma County. We have appreciated your support for this case throughout our thirteen-year ordeal.

We are especially grateful to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office for their tireless pursuit of Jason’s and Lindsay’s killer. The strong support for us and for the case by the former sheriff, Sheriff Cogbill, and the current sheriff, Sheriff Freitas, has been outstanding. And the dedication of all the lieutenants, sergeants, detectives, and support personnel of Sheriff’s Office Investigations throughout the years has totally amazed us. The combination of their humanity and professionalism would not allow them to give up on this case. And when we at times wondered if this day would ever come, the detectives in particular wouldn’t allow us to lose hope. To all who have worked this case over the years, we can’t thank you enough. You are true heroes to us and we thank God for you.

Finally and most importantly, we want to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for sustaining us and our families throughout this long journey. We know that we have miles to go before the case is closed with a conviction, but we also know the power and wonder of God’s grace.

Our prayers continue to be for the Sheriff’s Office as they build their case, for the families of the deputies, who have given them their undying support, for all the dear folks of Sonoma County who have prayed for us, and even for Shaun Gallon who heartlessly committed this senseless and wicked crime. Thank you.”

Links to news articles:

5/5/17: Sonoma County Press Democrat - Article 1 [PDF]

5/5/17: Sonoma County Press Democrat - Article 2 [PDF]

5/5/17: ABC 7 News [PDF]

5/5/17: Fox 40 [PDF]

5/5/17: Daily Mail UK [PDF]

5/6/17: Sonoma County Press Democrat [PDF]

5/6/17: Time Magazine [PDF]

5/8/17: People Magazine [PDF]

5/16/17: Sonoma County Press Democrat [PDF]