A 20-year-old Peoria man was found guilty of first-degree murder for a July 4th fatal shooting in the North Valley in 2021. Eric R. Jackson was found guilty by a jury during a three-day trial on January 18, 2024, for a shooting in the North Valley that left one man dead and two others with gunshot injuries. Michael Johnson II, 21, was fatally shot in the back of the head while he was in the passenger seat of a car parked outside his home. The driver of the vehicle was shot in the back, and a third victim, who was on the porch of the house, was shot in the face. The evidence proved that Jackson fired at least 15 shots at the victims.
The state presented forensic evidence that placed Jackson’s cell phone near the crime scene at the time of the shooting. The murder weapon was recovered from Jackson’s girlfriend’s house and had a completely loaded 33-round extended magazine. A 50-round drum magazine for the murder weapon was found in Jackson’s car. A firearms examiner with the Illinois State Police testified that the shell casings and other ballistic evidence recovered from the scene were fired from the murder weapon.
Text messages between Jackson and his mother discussing her purchasing the gun for him were presented by the state. Jackson’s mother was sentenced to nearly four years in prison on federal charges for purchasing the gun.
A text message to another individual inquiring if “they would be able to know there is a murder on it?” referring to that gun was presented in court. It took the jury about an hour to convict Jackson.
Jackson will be sentenced on March 12, 2024, at 1:15 PM. Jackson was found guilty of First Degree Murder (Class M Felony) and two counts of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm (Class X Felony).