Background: News footage of Tony Jackson (in mask) in court for his sentencing on Sept. 16 (WHIO). Inset: Matyka Brown (H.H. Roberts Mortuary).
An Ohio man who pleaded guilty to murdering his ex-girlfriend after breaking into her home will spend nearly three decades in prison before he is up for parole.
Tony Jackson, 33, entered a guilty plea to one count of aggravated murder earlier in September, months after he showed up at the home of 34-year-old Matyka Brown and gunned her down. Jackson had originally faced several additional felony charges in connection with the case, all of which were dismissed as part of the plea deal.
During the hearing on Tuesday, Jackson was sentenced to 20 years to life, plus three years for a mandatory gun specification and four years for being on probation at the time of the crime. He will be eligible for parole after serving 27 years.
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As Law&Crime previously reported, Jackson showed up at Brown”s home on Feb. 10 only to find that she was there with her new boyfriend. Jackson then left and returned, at which time he broke into the house while Brown and her two daughters, ages 9 and 14 years old, were inside.
Jackson threatened the family of three with a gun before he opened fire on Brown. The girls ran for lives and went to a neighbor’s house to get help. One of them witnessed the second shot to hit Brown, which turned out to be fatal.
The neighbors called 911, but it was too late to save Brown. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jackson had been out of prison for two weeks before the deadly attack, having completed serving a sentence for armed robbery. The murder took place months after he was arrested for strangling Brown.
Local CBS affiliate WHIO spoke to Brown’s mother, Melinda Grissom, who was at the sentencing. Grissom told WHIO, “There is some justice because he’s behind bars, but 27 years is not enough. It’s not.” She added, “He’ll still be kind of young when he gets out. My daughter, she won’t be here.”
