PEORIA, Ill. – A man could spend the rest of his life in prison after being sentenced for a 4th of July murder three years ago.
The Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office says 21-year-old Eric Jackson was sentenced to 90 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on Thursday.
He was convicted in January of First Degree Murder and two counts of Aggravated Battery for the shooting that killed 21-year-old Michael Johnson and injured two others.
Prosecutors say Johnson was fatally shot in the back of the head as he sat in the passenger seat of a car parked outside his home. The driver had a gunshot wound to the back, and the third victim was shot in the face while sitting on the porch.
The state’s attorney’s office says Johnson’s mother spoke at the sentencing hearing, holding a picture of him and talked about the family’s struggles since the murder. She spoke of sleepless nights, struggles with depression, and how Johnson’s son will have to grow up without a father.
Johnson’s family reportedly asked Jackson to be sent to prison for the rest of his life to pay for the life he took. Prosecutors say the streets and community are “not safe” if Jackson is free, saying the murder was a “cold, premeditated, and calculated ambush.”
Jackson was sentenced to 65 years for the murder count, which must be fully served. He received 25 years each for the aggravated battery counts, both of which are to be served at the same time.
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