SANDY — A text message to his brother shows Jeremy Patterson's state of mind.

"If I can find her, I will kill her. I'm ready to die as well!!! I've thought about breaking into her house and killing muselfn (sic)," Patterson wrote.

Just 3 ½ hours later on June 6, 2017, Memorez Rackley, 39, and her 6-year-old son Jase were gunned down in the middle of a quiet Sandy neighborhood. Her 11-year-old son Myles and the 8-year-old daughter of a Good Samaritan who tried to help the Rackley family were shot and injured.

Patterson, 32, then took his own life on the side of the street near the mother and child he had just murdered.

After months of work retracing the steps of Rackley and Patterson to try and determine how the tragic domestic shooting from last summer that shook a community unfolded, the Sandy Police Department has completed its investigation. The Deseret News obtained dozens of pages of police reports Wednesday through a public records request.

The reports paint a picture of a man who appeared to grow more desperate and violent in the days leading up to the shootings. Patterson told several people that he intended to kill Rackley and her children, and at one point even told one of her sons directly that he was going to kill him.

Repeated threats

Rackley, who was married but separated from her husband, ended a relationship with Patterson on June 1, according to the timeline of events outlined by police in the reports. The very next day, Rackley was at a nail salon when she was confronted by Patterson in the parking lot. Her son Jase was also present.

Patterson told Jase that he had had a relationship with his mother and used an expletive during the conversation.

"When Memorez attempts to leave, Jeremy Patterson tells Jase Rackley, 'I'm going to kill you.' Jeremy continues to follow her in his truck and attempts to run her off the road. Officers are on a traffic stop nearby when the officers are noticed by Jeremy. He leaves but tells Memorez he will kill her if she talks to the officers," a police report states.

Several hours later, at 2 a.m., Patterson posted "nude revenge pictures of Memorez Rackley on her son's soccer team Instagram page. Jeremy text(ed) Memorez a picture of her children and threatened them harm," according to a report.

About 2:30 a.m., Rackley called 911 and asked to have an officer call her. "She is provided information on charges which could be filed and how to obtain an order of protection. She declines assistance and asks no action to be taken."

About 3 a.m., Rackley called 911 again reporting "somebody is moving the door handle at her front door and she believed it was Patterson," the report states. Officers responded but found nothing.

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Three days before she died in a murder-suicide that also took the life of her 6-year-old son, Memorez Rackley called police to report a man who she had been dating had been following her and threatening her to the point she feared for her life.

Later that morning, on June 3, Patterson started texting friends claiming that he had left Utah to go to Boise, because he would hurt Rackley if he stayed in town, police reported. It's not clear whether Patterson actually left the state.

Two officers strongly recommended to Rackley that she get a protective order, one report says. An officer also contacted Patterson on June 3 and told him to stay away from her.

That same night, Rackley called 911 again saying that a friend had contacted her to inform her that Patterson had followed the friend home looking for Rackley.

'A dark side'

On June 5, Patterson contacted his sister and his mother and told them "he is going to kill Memorez, her children then kill himself. (The sister and mother) are not overly concerned about theses statements, stating that Jeremy says 'dark' things sometimes," police wrote.

In another report, officers noted that the sister and mother "both said that Jeremy has a dark side and says things that are really dark sometimes. As alarming as those statements were, (the sister) was not terribly concerned and said that Jeremy and Memorez were in a 'passionate relationship.' She said, 'They fight hard, and they love hard.' (The sister) again said that Jeremy told her he really wanted to hurt Memorez and said that killing her sons would 'really hurt her.'"

That same night, Patterson texted a friend and told her, "I want to kill her. … I've snapped and can't stop focusing on it," a report states. The friend told Patterson to check himself into a hospital.

"'Jeremy Patterson you are not doing this!'" the friend said, according to police. "Jeremy goes on to tell her he has been to her house and three friends' houses trying to find her. He has an extra clip to make sure he doesn't run out of bullets. He tells her about trying to run her off the road, says he will kill her and himself because he won't go to prison. He says he spent the weekend in Idaho so he couldn't kill her."

On June 6, the day of the tragedy, Patterson sent Rackley a text "apologizing for his behavior, and tells her, 'You are my sunshine on the darkest days.'"

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Just before noon, Rackley met with legal aid officials to discuss a protective order. About that same time, Patterson began texting his brother.

"I'm focused on hurting her. It's so twisted but I want her to die," he told his brother in text messages, a report states.

Patterson then asked his brother if he would help "hunt her down," adding that she "can't hide forever."

"(The brother) tells Jeremy to move on and nothing is worth killing anybody or himself. He tells Jeremy he isn't going to get involved but tries to reason with him."

Walking from school

At 12:30 p.m., one of Patterson's friends called Draper police who tried to make contact with Rackley. At 1:30 p.m., Rackley left the legal aid office.

Two hours later, Patterson confronted Rackley on Alta Canyon Drive as she was walking her children home from Brookwood Elementary. Patterson attempted to grab Rackley and a "heated verbal argument" ensued, police wrote.

Five minutes later, Rackley flagged down a woman in an SUV who had a daughter in the back.

"May I put my boys in your car for their safety?" she asked the woman. Myles was placed in the back seat on the passenger side, the woman's daughter in the middle, and Jase on the driver's side in back.

"Now I'm going to get in your car for my safety," Rackley told the driver.

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Rackley was already dialing 911 as she was getting into the car and Patterson attempted to grab her. The driver also called 911 almost simultaneously, a report states, "but the circuits were busy." A third woman nearby who saw what was happening also called 911. "She was nervous because 911 wasn't answering."

After briefly driving off, Patterson returned and used his truck to block the SUV. He stepped out of his vehicle holding a gun. The driver "yells for the children to run."

Patterson fired one shot at the SUV, then walked up to the passenger side and shot Rackley once "at point blank range," killing her, according to a report.

"Jeremy then begins to fire through the rear passenger window." Both Myles and Jase were shot. Jase was shot multiple times.

Patterson then shot himself in the head.

An autopsy found "no illicit drugs or alcohol" in Patterson's blood.

Last week, the Utah Senate passed SB27 in reaction to the Rackley tragedy. The bill would amend the laws on domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. SB27 amends would expand the ability to obtain a protective order to those who have or had a relationship with a suspect but never cohabited.

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