Weaverville Man Charged with Attempted Murder of U.S. Postal Carrier

WNC -- October 6, 2024: A Weaverville man was indicted by the U.S. Attorney's Office of the

Western District of North Carolina. The announcement was made in a press release Wednesday. Jaden Isaiah Garay, 24  was indicted by a federal grand jury in Asheville on four counts of attempted murder of a USPS Rural Mail Carrier, carjacking, assault, and firearm use during a crime of violence.

The indictment alleges that Garay unlawfully attempted to assassinate USPS Rural Mail Carrier T.R. in Madison County on September 5, 2023. The indictment charges that Garay carjacked T.R.'s vehicle, assaulted her while she was working, and used a dangerous weapon to endanger her life. The indictment also alleges that Garay carried and used a 9mm semiautomatic weapon that discharged during attempted murder and carjacking.

The federal allegations against Garay prompted a federal arrest warrant to appear in federal court in Asheville. He is now in custody at the  Madison County Sheriff's Office 

Garay is assumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

The maximum sentence for attempted murder is 20 years. The maximum prison sentence for carjacking and assault on a mail carrier is 25 years. The minimum sentence for using a firearm in a violent offense is 10 years and the highest is life.

U.S. Attorney King commended the USPIS, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the North Carolina Department of Correction K9 Team, the North Carolina Highway Patrol, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, Burke County EMS, Burke County Emergency Management, and Burke County Communications Center, the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, the Morganton Department of Public Safety, the Marion Police Department, and the Mars Hill Police Department for their investigation of the case and for their invaluable assistance in apprehending Garay. U.S. Attorney King also thanked Madison County District Attorney Seth Banks for his Office’s assistance and coordination with the federal investigation.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville is prosecuting the case.

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