Man killed in Monte Rio shooting ID’d; suspect charged in court

The man found dead over the weekend in a Monte Rio home was identified Tuesday as charges were filed against a man suspected to be involved with his death.

Chris Jaffe, 74, was found unresponsive with at least one gunshot wound Sunday afternoon by Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office deputies in a house in the 21000 block of Moscow Road.

Officials responded about 2:10 p.m. to the home following a report of a gunshot victim.

Jaffe was later pronounced dead. He was identified by the Sonoma County Coroner Unit.

Joseph Douchette, 41, was arrested a short distance from the home. A witness saw him earlier walking near the property and described him to authorities. Authorities also located a pellet rifle at the property, based on court records.

Investigators are working to determine the circumstances that led to the shooting and the man’s death, including the relationship between the two men.

Douchette was booked into the Sonoma County jail in Santa Rosa on suspicion of murder and violating a felony arrest warrant.

On Tuesday, he was charged in Sonoma County Superior Court with murder and cruelty on a dependent adult with great bodily injury, according to court records. Both are felonies.

Douchette is being held without bail.

Douchette was convicted in October 2022 of one felony count of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, in addition to three misdemeanor charges of violating a restraining order, resisting police and inflicting injury on a spouse.

In 2018, he was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a peace officer and a felony burglary charge, court records showed.

You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @madi.smals.