Man Sentenced to 35 Years For Brutal Slaying of Brother
Judge Likens Attack to 'Horror Movie'; Defense Cites Illness

By Keith L. Alexander
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 27, 2007

A 44-year-old District man was sentenced to 35 years in prison yesterday for killing his brother in their family home four years ago.

Comparing the case to a horror film, D.C. Superior Court Judge Neal E. Kravitz sentenced Otis Jackson Jr. to prison for beating and shooting his brother, 38-year-old Carlton Jackson. In May, a jury found Jackson guilty of premeditated first-degree murder while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon and arson.

"I felt I was watching a horror movie, but unfortunately I was not. This wasn't fictitious. It was happening in this courtroom," Kravitz said of the details revealed during the trial. "This was an incredibly brutal and vicious incident."

The Jackson brothers had lived with their elderly father, Otis Jackson Sr., in the 2300 block of 14th Street NE. On Nov. 20, 2003, Jackson attacked his brother on the second floor of the house with a hammer and gun, prosecutors said. When Jackson's father tried to intervene, Jackson pointed the gun at his father and ordered him to leave the house.

Prosecutors said Jackson shot his brother 10 times with a sawed-off shotgun, which Jackson had to reload between shots. Jackson also shot his brother at close range in his right ear with a .22-caliber semiautomatic. Police later found 250 rounds of ammunition in Jackson's bedroom.

At various points during yesterday's sentencing, Jackson -- dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit with his hands and ankles shackled -- made several verbal outbursts directed at prosecutors and several of his family members. "You know why!" he shouted to relatives sitting behind him.

Jackson's attorney, Sara E. Kopecki, tried to calm him down. Two marshals stood beside the 6-foot-3-inch, 230-pound Jackson. As he continued his outbursts, two additional marshals were summoned to the courtroom.

During the trial, Kopecki had said that her client had been convinced that his brother was possessed by demons and had tried to kill him.

Yesterday, Kopecki asked the judge to impose the mandatory minimum sentence on Jackson, noting that he did not have a criminal background and that he had a severe case of schizophrenia.

"I don't believe Mr. Jackson knows from day to day what happened," Kopecki said. "His view of reality is a bit skewed."

As prosecutor Gregory Marshall asked the judge to consider a 50-year sentence, he characterized Jackson's mental illness defense was "fabricated." Jackson stood up. "That's not true. You're a liar!" he shouted. Doctors from St. Elizabeths Hospital had testified that Jackson was competent to stand trial.

Marshall noted that Jackson's IQ of 119 is above average and said that Jackson was manipulative. Marshall called the murder "protracted and sadistic."

The Jackson brothers had had a tumultuous relationship. Prosecutors said police were frequently called to the house to break up fights between the two. Each had taken out a restraining order against the other, just weeks before the murder. Carlton Jackson, a Metro station supervisor, had sought two restraining orders against his brother, the first two months before his death.

After the shooting, prosecutors said Jackson poured gasoline on his brother's body and on the floor around him and tried to burn down the family's rowhouse. Police arrived and arrested Jackson as he ran from the house.

When Kravitz asked Jackson if there was anything he wanted to say, Jackson spoke for 15 minutes. He told his family that he loved them and told Kravitz that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life in prison. "I'd rather you give me the death penalty. I have nothing else to live for," he said.

"This was not supposed to happen. This was a spiritual mistake. This was black magic."

Jackson's family members said they were glad the four-year ordeal was behind them.

"I'm just glad it's over. My family has been through a great ordeal," said Patrick Cole, Jackson's cousin. "I thank God we're a spiritual family and we got through this."