Former Tarrant County sheriff’s deputy who murdered girlfriend sentenced to 30 years

James Hartley
·2 min read

The former Tarrant County Sheriff Deputy who in 2020 murdered his girlfriend has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by a Denton County Jury, according to the Denton County District Attorney’s Office.

Jay Allen Rotter reported in August 2020 that his girlfriend shot herself in the 2400 block of Robinwood Lane in Denton, police said in a news release.

Leslie Lynn Hartman, 46, was found dead at the scene, and detectives later determined that Rotter and his girlfriend were the only two people in the residence when she was killed.

Denton police said Monday that as their investigation continued into September 2020, they served search warrants and analyzed physical evidence.

Authorities presented a probable cause affidavit to a judge, who determined probable cause existed and signed a warrant for Rotter’s arrest. Denton police did not release any other details.

The deputy worked for the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office from 2005 until he was fired in 2020, assigned to the narcotics division, an official with the sheriff’s office said at the time.

“We are shocked and saddened about the incident and arrest of Jay Rotter,” Tarrant County Sheriff Bill E. Waybourn said in a statement in 2020. “We have very little information regarding the situation at this time. We believe in the criminal justice process and the truth will prevail.”

Christie Wood, a friend since 2001, said the Denton art community where Hartman was well known and beloved also has little information concerning her passing.

Hartman told Wood she was involved in an automobile accident when she was younger and had since used a wheelchair for transportation.

But her mobility challenges did not lessen Hartman’s creative drive, according to Wood, owner of Denton’s Art Glass Ensembles. Hartman operated her own stained glass studio out of her home, said Wood, who is also a stained glass artist.

“She didn’t let anything stop her from doing anything she wanted,” Wood said. “We were shocked to hear that she passed away and when we didn’t hear anything about how she passed away, we were confused.”