Gillette man who shot half-sister in the face gets 25-45 years in prison

A Gillette man who shot his half-sister in the head, then turned to his mother and told her to “give me a hug, because I am going to jail” will spend the next 25-45 years in prison. Vincent Hackett, 28, faced up to life in prison at his Thursday sentencing in Campbell County District Court, where his mother was among a laundry list of relatives asking for leniency.

Despite Hackett shooting his 33-year-old half-sister Haleigh Martinez point-blank as she burst into their mother’s house Jan. 20, 2025, the mother told Judge Matthew Castano in a letter that Martinez was a source of “chaos” in their lives. “The truth is, your honor, his younger years were not easy ones,” Jennifer Hackett wrote. “Our household experienced a lot of chaos because of his sister Haleigh’s struggles, her probation issues, and the storms that came with her choices.” She pleaded with the judge not to excuse what her son did, but to give him some opportunity “to rebuild himself and move forward with a better future.”

The mother was there during the incident after making plans to help Martinez clean up her home earlier that day, according to an evidentiary affidavit. They drank together and Martinez became drunk. At about 3:15 p.m., the mother invited Martinez back to her home. The mother said that “the relationship between Vincent and Haleigh was usually confrontational as Haleigh is a known drug user. Vincent does not approve of her lifestyle or how she raises her children.”

The affidavit says that at one point, Martinez overheard her female friend and her brother talking about her. She got upset and stormed out of the home with only stockings on her feet. A little later, Martinez returned and argued with her brother. The mother broke up the argument and sent her son to a different part of the home. The siblings argued loudly, and Hackett told Martinez to leave. He escorted her to the front door, pushed her onto the porch and locked the deadbolt.

“This enraged Haleigh, who began beating on the door, demanding entry,” the detective wrote. “Vincent was at the door yelling back at Haleigh. The door suddenly swung open, with Haleigh in the doorway.” Hackett raised a pistol and fired one round into his sister’s face, and she fell. The mother gathered the children and retreated to the back of the home, and at least two more shots sounded. That was when Hackett went to hug his mother one last time.

After the shooting, Hackett called 911 to report it. During his trial, he told the jury that he considered calling 911 earlier that evening as he and his half-sister continued to argue. Instead, he retrieved a Glock .36 pistol from his room, then their argument escalated. As he tried to get her to leave the house, Martinez “started swinging on me, shoving me,” Hackett told the jury. “I’ll f*** you up. We can both go to f***ing jail tonight,” he said she told him. When Martinez tried to force her way back in, “we made eye contact, and she charged at me,” he said. That’s when he shot her three times.

Hackett pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder charge but was found guilty by a jury in December. The sentence of 25-45 years reflects the severity of the crime—shooting a family member in the face during a domestic dispute that escalated tragically out of control.