Tyler

By CASEY KNAUPP
Staff Writer

A 53-year-old Tyler man was sentenced Thursday to 40 years in prison for trying to hunt down his former roommate in a capital murder conspiracy.

Jessie James Jackson pleaded guilty July 7 to the first-degree felony of conspiracy to commit capital murder for his involvement in a plot to kill a confidential informant (CI), who was buying drugs undercover for police.

Jackson faced five years to life in prison and was sentenced by 241st District Judge Jack Skeen Jr. to 40 years. He will be eligible for parole after serving 10 years.

During closing arguments, Assistant Smith County District Attorney Joe Murphy said Johnathan “Bisco” Toliver was the mastermind in the conspiracy and Jackson had a smaller role.

Toliver, 37, has been convicted of conspiracy to commit capital murder by a jury and was sentenced to life in prison.

Murphy said that because Jackson knew the CI, his former roommate, he was hired to help locate him so he could be killed by another man hired by Toliver.
He said Jackson had an extensive criminal history, including 20 misdemeanor convictions and two felony convictions, and he admitted to smoking crack cocaine every day. He asked the judge to sentence the defendant to 40 years in prison.

Defense attorney Rex Thompson said two of Jackson’s co-defendants have already been sentenced at the extreme ends of the punishment range and asked the judge where Jackson fit.

Toliver was sentenced to life in prison while his mother, Aldener Dunning, was sentenced in a plea agreement to five years in prison.

Thompson said his client was used by Toliver because he knew the CI and Jackson didn’t commit any acts of violence. He said he believed his punishment should be closer to Ms. Dunning’s sentence than to Toliver’s punishment. He asked Skeen to sentence him between five and 10 years and recommended that he receive drug treatment.

Thompson said Jackson’s significant criminal history began when he started using crack when he was 35. He said poor choices Jackson made have resulted in his life being ruined.

Murphy said Jackson was recruited and he was the one person in the conspiracy who knew the CI, which Murphy said made his case more aggravated. He said Jackson was bonded out of jail to find the CI and would be paid with crack cocaine.
He said Ms. Dunning got a five-year sentence because she had no criminal history and she only bonded Jackson out of jail and allowed him to use her car to try and locate the CI.

Skeen said he found that Jackson was acting with intent for the capital murder to be committed and he’s been in and out of the justice system for a long time. He agreed with the state’s recommendation of a 40-year sentence.

Johnathan “Greasy Greg” Brown, who rode around with Jackson to look for the CI, is scheduled to plead guilty and be sentenced for the conspiracy next Thursday.
Former Smith County jailer Kenya Bush, 26, Longview, who allegedly provided information about the CI and a picture of the planned victim to Toliver, has also been charged with conspiracy to commit capital murder.

Jessie Jackson
(Courtesy Smith County Sheriff)