The men responsible for the shooting death of a retired prison officer, who was killed during a botched robbery of an illegal gambling den, have been jailed for their respective roles.
The gunman, and lead robber, Justin Kyle Jackson, was sentenced to 11 years and and nine months in prison for the shooting, while his accomplice, Eric Brian Williams Soto, who was the second unarmed robber, was jailed for 10 years.
In November last year, both men were convicted of manslaughter in relation to Harry Elliott Jr.’s killing.
Elliott, 62, was shot and killed by Jackson on 25 April 2022.
During the sentencing hearing, Justice Cheryll Richards noted that Jackson, who was unmasked, had routinely targeted illegal gambling dens – robbing at least one per week.
In addition to the manslaughter charge, both men were convicted of possession of an unlicensed firearm for which they were each sentenced to 10 years. Both charges were ordered to run concurrently.
The gun used to kill Elliott was never recovered.
During an initial sentencing hearing, a victim impact report revealed that Elliott’s death irreparably damaged his friends and family – so much so that it sent his father to an early grave.
“My husband took Junior’s death to heart and died of a broken heart one week later,” the victim’s mother wrote in a letter penned to the Grand Court, in which she asked that the family’s pain and anguish be taken into account when sentencing her son’s killers.
Jackson sentenced for additional offences
Following Elliott’s killing, Jackson led police on a four-day manhunt, which played out in dramatic fashion before the public.
The two men were eventually charged with being in possession of a loaded revolver, which was found by police in the driver’s door of the white Toyota Yaris, which had been used by the men to flee the officers.
Jackson, at an initial court appearance, entered a guilty plea on the gun charge, while Williams Soto denied any knowledge of the weapon, which was not connected to the killing.
Williams Soto was eventually acquitted of the second gun charge by a Grand Court jury, and therefore received no additional jail time.
When sentencing Jackson for the second gun, which was found in the car, Richards gave him a 30% reduction for the guilty plea, leaving a sentence of seven years. She then ordered that 28 months of that sentence be served consecutively to the term of 11 years and nine months, for a final sentence of 14 years and one month. The remaining time for the second gun charge was ordered to run concurrently to the final sentence.
The time spent in custody leading up to trial and sentencing will be deducted from their sentences.
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