Nebraska Board of Pardons denies Earnest Jackson’s request

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Earnest Jackson was sentenced to more than two decades in jail for a crime that Jackson maintains he did not commit. On Monday afternoon, the top elected officials in the state of Nebraska decided not to award Jackson his freedom.

Jackson, who was 17 years old at the time, was accused of having some involvement in the shooting death of Larry Perry, which took place in Omaha in 1999. He was detained alongside two other men, Shalamar Cooperrider and Dante Chillous, and convicted of the crime before the trials of the other two men took place. When Cooperrider had his day in court, he admitted that he was responsible for the crime in full, but claimed that he acted in self-defense, which led to him being acquitted. In relation to the shooting, Chillous was also not found guilty, whereas Jackson has been imprisoned for the past 22 years.

According to Jackson, “you know there are a lot of people on the outside who believe in our system.” “I am a person who knows and believes in our system, but I also understand that no system is flawless,” she said. “I am a person who understands and believes in our system.”

The governor, Pete Ricketts, the attorney general, Doug Peterson, and the secretary of state, Bob Evnen, make up the board that grants pardons. Last week, when 10/11 spoke to Jackson’s family, they begged them to make the choice that they consider to be the best one.

“God knows how badly I want to see my son again. Earnest Jackson’s mother, Brenda Jackson-Williams, has expressed her desire for her son to return home after 22 years. Earnest Jackson has to get back to his family as soon as possible.

People, including the family of Perry, the man whose death Jackson is serving time for, wrote letters to the pardon board before the hearing expressing their support for Jackson and expressing their hope that he will be granted clemency. Quotes from Elizabeth Smith and Mike Hatcher were included in a letter that was sent by the Send Earnest Home project. Mike, who was just three months old at the time of the shooting, is Smith and Perry’s son. At the time of the incident, Smith was dating Perry.

Elizabeth Smith, Mike’s mother, spoke with us how she often felt helpless and anxious about what the future held for her son. “I had just given birth, and I was only 18 years old at the time. Now, my son will have to grow up without his biological father, and even though I knew Larry wanted to be there for Mike, I just couldn’t make it work.

According to the letter, Mike has been profoundly impacted by Larry’s passing; nonetheless, he also believes that Earnest should be allowed to go free.

Hatcher stated, “I am speaking up and asking for a commutation of Earnest’s sentence because it is the right thing to do.” Earnest was given a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. “Because I am a Christian, I have faith in both mercy and forgiveness. Despite the fact that I can’t reverse what happened in the past or find my father, this will help me find healing. I have faith that these words will find their way into each of your hearts and convince you to give Earnest a second opportunity at life so that he can make a positive impact on the people in his neighborhood.