Haley Mackin

Haley Leann Mackin was a 23-year-old woman who loved the outdoors, going on adventures, and spending time with her friends and family. In the early morning hours of September 1, 2024, her life was ended in Eugene, Oregon. Around 3 a.m., police responded to reports of a loud argument followed by gunshots near the intersection of Royal Avenue and Ruskin Street. When officers arrived, they found Haley, a White female, deceased outside a home from multiple gunshot wounds. Her father was inside the residence at the time and found his daughter after hearing the shots.

The investigation quickly centered on Brandon Daniel Smith, then 24, with whom Haley had been in an “on-again, off-again” relationship for about a year. The relationship had a history of domestic violence. Less than five months before the killing, in April 2024, Smith had pleaded guilty to assaulting Haley and was sentenced to probation with a no-contact order. Despite the order, the two reportedly remained in communication. According to prosecutors, Smith orchestrated a ruse on the night of the murder, having an acquaintance from his halfway house arrange a meeting with Haley under the pretense of an escort date. When she emerged from her home, Smith was waiting for her and shot her.

Just two hours after the shooting, at 5:05 a.m., Eugene police located and arrested Smith near 4th Avenue and Pearl Street. He was taken to the Lane County Jail and initially charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, and tampering with physical evidence. A grand jury later returned an indictment on charges of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

On June 4, 2026, Brandon Daniel Smith, then 25, accepted a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and unlawful use of a weapon. During an emotional sentencing hearing, Haley’s family members delivered victim impact statements. Her father recalled asking Smith multiple times to just walk away from the relationship, while her brother asked, “Why couldn’t you have been the bigger person?” A close friend described the killing as intentional and planned, stating that Haley had been trying to escape the "nightmare she was living in." Smith declined an opportunity to address the family in court.

Lane County Circuit Judge Bradley Cascagnette sentenced Smith to a total of 23 years, or 276 months, in prison, to be followed by two years of post-prison supervision. The case was officially closed with his sentencing in June 2026.