Woman who reportedly shot her father in Hibbard appears in court

The woman who is said to be responsible for the shooting and killing of her father appeared in court on Thursday.Jessica Conser, of Montana, appeared in Madison County Court for a preliminary hearing on a charge of first-degree murder and a weapon enhancement charge.

Conser is accused of shooting and killing her 66-year-old father, Mathew Robert Travao III, of Hibbard back in June.

Travao was found shot at his Hibbard home on the night of June 5. He died of his injuries at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. Conser was detained near the Montana state line in Clark County later that night.

In July, Conser was ruled incompetent for judicial proceedings. The original preliminary hearing, set on July 9, was canceled after a psychologist’s report was delivered to the court.

On Thursday, the state called several including witnesses.

The state brought forth Barbra Travao, Mathew Travao’s wife, as a witness. She recalled what happened the night Mathew Travao was shot. She said she was in her bedroom asleep when she heard a shot coming from the living room. She said she jumped out of bed and ran into the hallway at the same time she saw Conser leave the house.

Barbra Travao said she then heard gravel in the front yard and saw Conser spin out and leave in a truck.

Prosecutors asked Barbara Travao who was inside the home before the night’s events. Barbra Travao said that it was herself, Mathew and their two grandchildren. The two grandchildren were the children of Conser and that they had been living in the Travao home for about a month.

Barbra Travao went on to say that she went over to Mathew Travao, who was sitting on the couch and asked what happened with Conser. She then touched his hand, heard gurgling and saw a gunshot wound to his left eye. She immediately called 911 at 9:26 p.m.

Barbra Travao looked over at Conser in court and said, “Your daughter asked me, why did Mama shoot Papa?”

Prosecutors and defense asked Barbra Travao what Conser was like the month before June 5. She said that Conser was saying things like people were hacking into her computer and bank account and that people were threatening her and her children.

Barbra Travao said that Mathew Travao had visited Conser in Montana four times recently, and on the last visit, he brought back his grandchildren because she had been “stressing out.” The children living in the home is something Barbra Travao said was “agreed on.”

The state then called on Madison County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Idaho State Patrol troopers who responded to the Hibbard home and found Conser in Clark County. Deputy Brayden Buster says he found said live rounds at the home.

Prosecutors then brought Lt. Curtis Allen Wood, who interviewed Conser after she was brought in for questioning the next morning at 3:20 a.m.

He looked through the vehicle that Conser was found in and saw a firearm in the front seat. He says that the ammunition was the same brand and size as the shell casings found in the home.

During questioning, Wood asked Conser asked if she knew why she was brought in. She said that she knew why becasue she killed her father.

Wood mentioned that Conser’s reasoning was because she was “telepathically” told by her father and her priest in Butte, Montana, that her father killed her daughter. Wood said that she asked Montana police to contact Madison County Sheriff’s Office for a welfare check on her kids. Lieutenant Wood said the Sheriff’s Office tried to perform a welfare check but was given the wrong address.

Wood mentioned he had been in contact with Conser’s priest, who said that he did not send Conser “telepathic” messages.

Wood said that during the questioning, Conser said she drove specifically to Madison County to kill her father. She pulled into the driveway and entered the home, and right before she shot Travao, she said something along the lines o,f “I love you Daddy.”

Wood went on to say that Conser’s daughter had not been killed.

He also mentioned that Conser was on two medications, one of which helped treat her post-traumatic-stress-disorder. Wood said Conser described flashbacks of her family members abusing her, even mentioning her father.

Conser is now bound to district court, with her hearing set for Oct. 15 at 9:30 a.m. on a charge of first-degree murder with a weapon enhancement charge.

If found guilty, Conser could face a minimum of 10 years to life in prison and $50,000 in fines.