Georgia prison inmate guilty in Jacksonville 2004 murder case
A Jacksonville jury found a Georgia prison inmate guilty late Wednesday of brutally stabbing a woman to death in 2004.
Now convicted, Kim Jackson, 43, could face the death penalty for murdering Debra Joyce Pearce, 49.
Jackson, who was not arrested until 2008, slashed Pearce’s throat and stabbed her in the chest with such force that the 8-inch blade ended up nicking a bone in her back, prosecutors said.
But defense attorneys argued that the prosecution only proved that Jackson was in the house at some point, not that he killed her. They also argued that Pearce, who sold drugs out of her house, had a lot of people who wanted her dead.
The case was broken after DNA evidence from the scene was matched to Jackson, who was incarcerated at Washington State Prison in Davidsboro, Ga., on a robbery charge at the time of his arrest.
When Jackson was first interviewed about the murder in 2004, he denied knowing Pearce and said he’d never been in her house. But a bloody fingerprint of Jackson and DNA from him was later found in the kitchen, where Pearce’s body was found.
“His DNA and his fingerprints are as good as a signed confession,” Assistant State Attorney Theresa Simak said.
Assistant Public Defender Michael Bateh acknowledged that his client lied to police but said it was because Jackson was afraid of the police, not because he was guilty.
“Just because he lied to police and is a convicted felon does not equate to him being a murderer,” Bateh said.
People were coming in and out of Pearce’s house all the time to buy drugs, and there were a lot of people with motives, he said.
The same jury will return April 26 to make a recommendation on whether Jackson should get life without parole or death. Circuit Judge James Daniel will make the final decision.
http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2...#ixzz2QnKtPj7x
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